


The War

by M_EXO



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: (kind of at least), Alternate Universe, Blood, Gen, Post-Apocalypse, Superpowers, Violence, non-important character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:20:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 37,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21672838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/M_EXO/pseuds/M_EXO
Summary: In a world still reeling after a near apocalyptic war, nine young mutants try to find their place to belong in a society that hates them.
Comments: 21
Kudos: 52





	1. Introduction to the world

**Author's Note:**

> Someone on tumblr gave me the idea for this and I've been playing with it ever since. Finally decided to just post the first chapter. I hope you'll like it ^^  
> ~ M

The year is 2641. The world has seen multiple wars since our time, the last nearly ending humanity as we know it. Whole countries were decimated while new were created. Nuclear weapons polluted the air, causing babies to be born with a strange mutagen. Their DNA had changed; giving them what some people would call ‘superpowers’. Others call them freaks, mutants. The mutants themselves prefer Gifted - though the gift feels more like a curse. The governments, still reeling to regain control of what remained of their countries, realized the threat of this. The so-called mutants were the only ones strong enough to rise and bring them down.

The government needed to control them. This led to the creation of the Red Force. An organization created solely to control – and eliminate – the existence of mutants. The footmen are an elite unit of highly trained soldiers, and their extermination robots are nearly indestructible. The mutants that aren’t killed during a pick-up are neutralized with special shock collars and then sent to working camps where the government has complete control over them. Some mutants, to save their own life, decide to join the government and use their abilities for evil. The ones who don’t, often don’t last long in the camps.

All the remaining free mutants can really do, is try to survive for as long as possible. 

This will be the stories of nine Gifted young men and their struggles in trying to stay free. And alive. 


	2. Junmyeon - Log 1: The Beginning

Junmyeon stumbled and nearly fell but caught himself in the last second. His heart was in his throat, fear thrumming just beneath his skin. The sound of his panting was near deafening in his ears, wheezing breaths hurting with every inhale. Every muscle in his body was hurting but he pushed himself forward.

The clanking sounds of metal on concrete, like a large spider crawling over rocks, told Junmyeon it wasn’t far behind him. He dared not look back, afraid to see the long, mechanical claw reaching out towards him.

His lungs were burning and he could taste blood in his mouth from where he had bitten his tongue. He had twisted his ankle at some point and his eyes were blurry with tears from the pain of it. His body couldn’t take it much longer.

Without looking back, he held out his hands behind him and a powerful jet of water shot out from his palms, Junmyeon stumbling forward from the force of it. The metallic clanking only got louder however and Junmyeon could feel hopelessness wash over him. He was weak so his powers were weakened too. But he kept running; his legs numb and on autopilot.

Above him, the moon was freed from behind the clouds, bathing everything around him in a soft, white glow. Now, he could tell he was entering what used to be a cosy villa neighbourhood but, as most of the country, it was left in ruins. With the light of the moon, Junmyeon felt a spark of hope. He could find somewhere to hide here!

With renewed energy, Junmyeon pushed himself one last time and darted in between what had been two neighbouring houses, quickly rounding another ruined wall to try and throw the robot off his tail.

As he rounded the corner, the ground beneath him suddenly crumbled and disappeared, dropping him for a terrifying second before he landed hard on the ground. He couldn’t move. Everything hurt and it felt like something in his right arm was broken.

He could hear the clanking slowing down. Coming closer. All he could do was drag himself into a corner and hope he would live to see the dawn.

His heart was racing, threatening to beat right out of his chest and he was heaving for breath; the wheezing so loud he pulled his tattered shirt up to cover his mouth and hopefully muffle the sound.

The clanking came to a full stop almost right above him. There was a couple of seconds where the only noise that could be heard was the wind. Junmyeon was frozen in place as he waited for the robot’s next move.

Then, the darkness was broken by a near blinding red beam of light that bathed everything in an eerie glow as it slowly scanned the area. As the beam moved around slowly, searching for him, it lit up the surroundings and Junmyeon realized he was in what used to be a basement. He pressed himself as close to the wall behind him as possible, praying to whoever was listening that he wouldn’t be spotted. An RF-05 model. He was screwed.

A sudden crash nearby had Junmyeon nearly jumping out of his skin, his teeth digging painfully into his lower lip to keep back a surprised yelp.

The red beam shot towards the sound, leaving Junmyeon in the darkness once again. He could hardly believe his luck when the sound of metal legs crawling quickly over the rubble slowly faded away as the RF-05 went to investigate. 

He breathed out, only now realizing he had been holding his breath and that his lungs were screaming for air. And now that the immediate threat was gone, his body losing adrenaline, he realized just how much everything hurt. He wouldn’t be able to go any further for a while.

With a sigh, he let his head fall back against the wall behind him and he looked up, hoping he would be able to see some stars. Instead, a tall, looming shadow greeted him; peeking down at him before suddenly dropping into the basement right in front of him. The light of the moon didn’t reach into the basement so whoever it was remained a shadow as they slowly crept closer.

Junmyeon couldn’t even scream.

But then a pair of pale, pink glowing eyes greeted him from the dark and Junmyeon blinked in surprise, knowing his own eyes were now glowing blue.

“Are you hurt?” the person in front of him whispered; voice almost inaudible.

“M-my ankle,” Junmyeon tried to whisper back though it came out as more of a whimper and his voice was raspy from misuse. He couldn’t remember the last time he had actually spoken to someone. “And my arm. I think it’s broken.”

“May I?” the stranger asked softly and Junmyeon could vaguely see the shadow holding out their hands as if they wanted to touch him.

Without knowing what he was agreeing to, Junmyeon made an affirming noise. For some reason, he trusted the stranger. And he was as good as dead anyway if it turned out to be a mistake. He had nothing to lose by trusting this stranger by now. And it seemed they had probably been the one who lured away the RF-05. 

Gentle hands closed around his hurt ankle and Junmyeon flinched, trying to pull back his leg on reflex, but the stranger held on firmly. Then it was like his leg had been lit on fire, white-hot flames spreading up from his ankle – but somehow, it wasn’t painful. There was a slight glow emitting from the stranger’s hands, but no flames like Junmyeon had expected when looking down.

The stranger then moved on to his arm, leaving Junmyeon’s leg feeling oddly numb and tingly. The white-hot flames spread up through his arm as gentle hands moved softly over the hurt limb, spreading the warmth in their wake.

As the warmth started to fade from Junmyeon’s leg, he realized that the pain had faded as well. He couldn’t feel a thing, even when he tried to experimentally move his foot around.

“I… thank you,” Junmyeon breathed in amazement. He looked up at the stranger. His eyes had gotten more used to the darkness of the basement and he was now able to see the young man in front of him more clearly. He was probably around Junmyeon’s age; slim, delicate features with kind eyes.

Junmyeon had never met another Gifted before. There were very few free ones left in the country.

“Good thing the RF-5s are easy to distract,” the stranger smiled. He let go of Junmyeon’s arm and instead settled beside him, leaning against the wall. “It should be well away from here by now. I think we’ll be safe here for the night.”

Not really knowing what else to do with himself, Junmyeon settled back against the wall again. There were a million questions running around his head. In the end, he settled for;

“Who are you?”

The stranger smiled again. “Zhang Yixing,” he introduced himself, holding out his hand.

Smiling back, Junmyeon shook his hand. “Kim Junmyeon. Thank you for saving my life.”

Yixing gave a small nod, his eyes regarding Junmyeon with curiosity. “Why were you out here so late anyway? Don’t you know about the curfew? You’re lucky you only ran into one RF-5, they’re everywhere lately. Especially this close to the capital.”

“I am trying to get to the capital,” Junmyeon said, happy to hear that he was apparently closer than he had first thought. He had lost his map a while ago and had been moving north blindly in hopes of finding the city. “Got caught out in the open after dark; that was my mistake. I had hoped to find some shelter but luck wasn’t on my side.”

“The capital, huh?” Yixing hummed, nodding to himself. “Me too.”

“Oh really? Why?” Junmyeon asked, perking up at little at the thought of a travel companion. Travelling with another Gifted would be much safer than trying to make it on his own.

Yixing shrugged. “New opportunities; new life, I guess,” he said, looking up at the stars wistfully. “At least I hope so.”

Junmyeon nodded and sighed as he too looked up at the sparkling night sky. “Same for me. I’m hoping that hiding in plain sight will be easier than being on the run all the time. I’m hoping that… there’ll be more people like me. Like us. I’m tired of being alone.”

Instead of answering, Yixing just hummed and nodded in agreement. They both fell silent, lost to their own thoughts as they watched the stars twinkle above them.

Junmyeon couldn’t remember the last time he had felt safe, let alone relaxed. He had been on the run for so long… he couldn’t even remember where he had come from. For months, his only goal had been getting to the capital. He had heard rumours that other Gifted people hid there and that was enough for him. It may be a wild goose chase, but it was all he had. It felt weird being so close now.

Glancing at Yixing beside him, Junmyeon smiled. He had been alone for so long but now with Yixing being there as well, things seemed a little bit brighter. 


	3. Junmyeon - Log 2: Travel Partners

The sun was beating down on the two travellers, unbearably hot and unrelenting. Junmyeon’s tattered shirt was sticking to his skin uncomfortably, his hair matted down by sweat. Despite Yixing’s healing, Junmyeon’s body was sore and every step he took had his muscles groaning in pain.

Beside him, Yixing wasn’t struggling as much as Junmyeon, but his face was flushed and his hair damp. Once it had gotten light out and Junmyeon had been able to see Yixing properly, he had been surprised by how neat he looked. Where Junmyeon’s clothes had definitely seen better days and could use a couple of patches here and there, Yixing’s looked almost brand new.

The other boy also had a backpack with him, which Junmyeon also hadn’t noticed before, that was filled with various nutritious food bars. Junmyeon’s own food supply had consisted of whatever he could find, which often meant nothing.

There were so many questions that Junmyeon still wanted to ask, but he didn’t want to be rude and scare Yixing off. It had been so long since he’d had a proper conversation that he had almost forgotten how to.

Was Yixing a proper citizen? Was that how he got the food? But then why was he travelling on foot? He looked far too neat to have been on the run for as long as Junmyeon though. But why would you go on the run if you were able to live a normal life? 

“I think we could both use a little break,” Yixing said, bringing Junmyeon out of his thoughts. “We’ll reach the capital sometime this evening, I think, once we’ve passed a couple of hills. So we can afford some rest.”

He folded up the map he had been holding and put it back in his backpack, giving Junmyeon a tired smile. Neither of them had gotten much sleep after escaping from the RF-05 robot. Junmyeon didn’t even think twice about accepting the idea.

They settled behind the ruins of a house to get out of the sun, and Yixing pulled out a couple of his food bars that Junmyeon hungrily accepted. The taller hadn’t been very talkative throughout the day, so Junmyeon was surprised when there was only a short moment of silence before he spoke up.

“Forgive me if I’m being rude, but I have so many questions,” Yixing said, smiling apologetically as he turned towards Junmyeon, curiosity shining out of his eyes. “What is a Gifted doing out here all alone?”

Junmyeon chuckled, amused by how they were both apparently very curious about the other. “I could ask you the same thing,” he said instead of answering. “You look too polished to be out here like me. I have a lot of questions too.”

He gestured to his own torn, dirty clothes, unkempt hair and a scruff that could use a good trimming sometime soon. Luckily washing up had never been a problem for Junmyeon, but his clothes were in dire need of replacing.

Yixing laughed and nodded. “I guess you’re right. A question for a question then?”

Agreeing with a nod, Junmyeon gestured for Yixing to go first. The other boy thought for a while before deciding on his question.

“Where are you from?”

Now that was a question Junmyeon didn’t actually know how to answer. Because he didn’t know himself. He could hardly even remember his parents; faint flashes of a smile, a voice and sometimes the hint of a face being the only thing left of them. All of his life, he had only ever known being on the run. Moving around constantly, never settling down. Being tired, hungry and alone.

“South,” was all that Junmyeon could answer. He shifted uncomfortably, suddenly feeling exposed under Yixing’s curious gaze. “I… I don’t really know much else. Never had a home.”

“Oh…” Yixing said, gaze falling to the ground. 

“And you?” Junmyeon asked, clearing his throat awkwardly. His first conversation in ages and he had to go and make it uncomfortable. “You have to have come from somewhere.”

“I… yeah,” the taller started, looking almost sorry that he’d had it better than Junmyeon. “I grew up in a small village near the sea. We didn’t have much but… I never needed anything. My parents managed to hide me long enough from the Red Force. But I have a gift that can help people so I -,” he paused for a second, looking into the distance. “I heard that the capital was the place to go for people like us. So that’s where I want to start. I want to do something. I couldn’t just sit by while we get picked off one by one.”

Despite Yixing looking embarrassed, Junmyeon didn’t think any less of him for having come from, what was to Junmyeon, fortune. Instead, he thought it was quite brave of the other boy to leave a comfortable life behind and head into the unknown.

“So you have a citizenship? A proper one?” Junmyeon asked, perking up again. Having one could be very helpful when reaching the capital. It would allow him to roam about the city almost freely even if getting stopped by a patrol.

Yixing nodded, a smile spreading over his face as he reached into the backpack and pulled out a thin, black booklet the size of his palm. An actual passport. Junmyeon had never seen one before.

Things really were starting to look brighter now that Yixing was with him.

“I don’t know how long it’ll last before they flag it,” Yixing said. “Travelling without authorization is not allowed, so once they realize I’m gone, they’ll red-list my name. But might as well use it while I have it.”

Even if it was going to get flagged, it was a huge help while it lasted. Hopefully, they could get settled somewhere they could live comfortably even without a passport before it wasn’t useful anymore.

Despite Junmyeon having more questions, it seemed Yixing had been scared off from asking anything else, so Junmyeon kept quiet as well. They finished their food bars in silence and eventually continued their journey.

The hills Yixing had talked about seemed more like mountains in reality, and Junmyeon was sweating and panting after only a short while. Even Yixing seemed to be having a hard time. The ruins around them thinned out and it once again felt like they were out in the middle of nowhere. As the sun got lower and lower, Junmyeon was preparing himself for another night out in the open.

But then, just as suddenly as the hills had appeared, they disappeared and the landscape spread out before them. Junmyeon’s jaw dropped as his eyes finally landed on the capital. The place he had spent so long trying to reach.

The city was surrounded by ruins; houses, apartment buildings and office towers creating a ring of pure destruction. Even the capital had been completely destroyed by the war. But past all of this, you could see where the rebuilding had begun. New buildings reached taller than the ruins, the windows gleaming in the setting sun behind them. It looked almost surreal, the contrast between chaos and order.

Junmyeon had known the city would be big but this was… massive. So many opportunities for a new life spread out before him. 

He had never been in a city this huge before and suddenly realized he didn’t even know where he should begin. Finding shelter was important, but food was also a necessity. And some new clothes would make him blend into the crowd more. In these rags, someone would definitely know he didn’t belong.

Had he been alone, Junmyeon wasn’t sure he would even have the guts to actually go into the capital by himself after all. Seeing it up close was very intimidating; much more than anticipated.

“Let’s go,” Yixing said with determination. “We have to find shelter before it gets dark. The Red Force will be everywhere soon.”

Feeling fear slowly creep up through his body, Junmyeon followed Yixing down the hill. Whatever was going to happen, at least he wasn’t alone anymore. 


	4. Yixing - Log 3: The Capital

Yixing took a quick step back into the shadows of a convenience store, pulling Junmyeon with him. Two Red Force soldiers walked by not even a second later, their shadows looking unnaturally long and twisted in the dim streetlights. One of them paused for a brief moment right by the alley where the two gifted were hiding, and Yixing pressed himself up against the brick wall, holding his breath. Beside him, he could feel Junmyeon doing the same; standing completely frozen in the dark.

The soldier continued walking and Yixing breathed out. That was a close call and the night had only just begun. He regretted not staying out by the ruins until sunrise. There would be fewer patrols and they could most likely have found a safe place to sleep. The curfew had already started so they stood out like a sore thumb being the only civilians in the streets.

They had decided to try and be brave though and had entered the city in hopes of finding… something. Perhaps that had been a mistake. 

“We should have stayed outside of the city,” Junmyeon whispered, speaking Yixing’s thoughts.

Yixing just hummed in agreement, eyes stuck on the street outside the alley in case the Red Force soldiers came back. There was a hollow clang behind him and Yixing spun around, heart in his throat only to find Junmyeon’s legs sticking out of a dumpster.

“What are you doing?” he hissed in complete disbelief, quickly looking around so see if anyone had heard the noise.

“Looking for usable stuff,” Junmyeon’s voice sounded from down in the dumpster.

It wasn’t actually that bad of an idea. Yixing peeked over the dumpster but it was near impossible to see anything in the darkness. He could just about make out Junmyeon’s arms moving trash around.

“Anything down there?” he asked curiously.

With a sigh, Junmyeon pulled himself out of the dumpster, landing on the ground with a soft thump. He held up something that vaguely looked like a half-full bag of bread.

“Can’t tell if it’s gone bad though,” Junmyeon said.

With a shrug, Yixing grabbed it and put it in his backpack. They could look at it in the morning. Hopefully, it was still edible, and it was a lot better than having nothing to eat.

They went through the rest of the dumpsters in the alley as well, Yixing keeping watch while Junmyeon dove into the trash in hopes of finding treasure. Luck was hardly on their side though; all they found was another almost empty bag of bread and a lighter that barely worked.

The two boys shared a look of defeat. Food was scarce because so much of the earth had been left completely barren after the war, the soil contaminated and unable to grow anything. People wouldn’t just throw out food. Finding anything had been a long shot.

“I think we should try and get out of the city,” Yixing suggested. The risk of running into the Red Force was rising every second they stayed in the same place for too long.

Junmyeon nodded in agreement. They really should have waited in the first place.

Staying in the darkness of the alleyways as much as possible, they tried to retrace their steps back out of the city. Because of the curfew, the city was completely deserted and the silence was eerie. The wind moved around some trash in the streets every now and then, making Yixing jump every time.

Another gust of wind caught a plastic bag and had it tumbling down the street, the streetlights casting strange shadows after it. Yixing froze. There was another sound getting louder as the bag blew further and further away.

In front of him, Junmyeon had stopped dead in his tracks too.

The sound of metal-legs crawling slowly down the street. A huge oblong shadow grew bigger and bigger as the RF-05 robot came closer and closer. Though they were hiding in the shadows of an alleyway, it would only take a small amount of light for the robot to spot them. There was nowhere to hide. They had to move back.

Yixing began backing away, pulling Junmyeon along with a tight grip on his shirt. They didn’t dare turn their backs on the approaching the RF-05, so they stumbled backwards blindly.

A loud crack echoed through the alley and they froze. Yixing looked down; he had stepped on a plastic bottle.

In the next second they were bathed in a red beam of light. They shared a terrified look and took off down the alley, all attempts at stealth forgotten. With their path lit up in red, they had no trouble seeing where to go.

Metallic screeching loud enough to hurt their ears replaced the silence. The robot had taken up chase, squeezing itself through the narrow alley.

The two boys shot out of the alley and into the open streets, the RF-05 right on their heels. Yixing nearly fell on his face when Junmyeon grabbed onto his arm and started bolting down the street, Yixing stumbling after him. They had to get out of the city before more Red Force soldiers came to join the chase. They were so close to the borders, if they could just make it out…

A red beam of light once again lit up their surroundings as the robot made it out onto the street as well. The metallic screeching had stopped abruptly but was immediately replaced by the tell-tale sounds of metallic legs scuttling across the road.

In front of Yixing, Junmyeon took a sharp turn down another alleyway and Yixing quickly followed. They had no idea where it would lead, only that it was the general direction they had to go to get out of the city.

The RF-05 once again had to try and squeeze through the narrow path, a painful screeching once again filling the night. It must have woken half the neighbourhood by now.

“Yixing get behind me!” Junmyeon yelled, coming to a sudden stop, spinning around. Yixing had just stepped out of Junmyeon’s way when he raised his hands and a powerful jet of water shot out from the palms of his hands. It hit the robot dead on but barely slowed it down.

Junmyeon let out a strangled yell from the strain of holding back the robot. The air around them felt weirdly electric and Yixing’s skin felt prickly. Junmyeon was drawing water from the moisture in the air around them. An idea popped into Yixing’s head.

“Junmyeon; the sewers! Use water from the sewers!”

The onslaught of water faltered for a second as Junmyeon processed his words and then his face twisted in determination. For a second nothing happened but then there was a deep rumble from beneath their feet and the ground began vibrating. What sounded like a small bomb going off had manhole covers shooting up towards the sky as water forced its way to the surface.

What Yixing could only describe as a small tidal wave of waste-water washed over the RF-05 robot with enough power to force it out of the alley.

Junmyeon was panting though, his whole body trembling as he struggled to keep it up. He wouldn’t last much longer. The water was already losing power. Yixing didn’t know what to do; his gift couldn’t help in this situation. He felt useless.

A short whistle was all the warning they got. The night was abruptly lit up by a blinding white light that had Yixing squeezing his eyes shut in pain, his eyes seeing fireworks behind his eyelids. It was like he could feel the light on his skin, warm and tingly. 

Shielding his face from the light, Yixing tried to open his eyes. They teared up immediately, blurring his vision. Beside him, Junmyeon’d had to drop the water to shield his eyes as well. The robot seemed to have stopped in its tracks. They were enveloped in complete silence.

Blinking rapidly, Yixing squinted as he looked up. He could have sworn there was a glowing figure standing at the other end of the alley. The light was nearly unbearable and Yixing’s eyes were watering from the pain of it. He had to look away from whoever it was.

The robot had stopped moving and Yixing thought that the light must have messed with its sensors somehow.

He grabbed onto Junmyeon and took off running again, vision swimming with spots that made it hard to see where he was going. The whole alley was still lit up as if the sun had been right above them, but Yixing didn’t look back again to see where it was coming from. They had been given a chance to escape and so they had taken it.

Sirens could be heard in the distance but the two boys had finally made it to the outskirts of the city. They found shelter in the ruins of a destroyed apartment building. All the upper floors had caved in but a small crack in a wall allowed them to squeeze into a room on the second floor that was fully closed off from the outside. The Red Force would have a hard time finding them there.

Yixing shared his food bars with Junmyeon again and they tried a bit of the bread though it was very stale.

“What was that?” Junmyeon asked after they had both finally calmed down and stopped shaking.

Yixing had been thinking the same thing. “Another Gifted,” he said. “Has to be. I’m sure I saw someone standing there.”

“Whatever it was, it saved our lives,” Junmyeon said. “We have to be more careful in the future. We stand no chance against those robots alone.”

Nothing more was said that night. Both boys had been shaken up by the encounter and had gotten lost in their own thoughts, worried about the future.

Had Yixing made the right choice by leaving his home? Without Junmyeon he would have surely been caught by now, his powers useless in an actual fight. Had he really thought he would have been able to do this alone?

What would their future look like? 


	5. Yixing - Log 4: Blinding Light

They had ventured into the rebuilt part of the capital again. Having discussed when would be the best time, they had eventually decided on the evening. From what Yixing remembered about his home town, this was when everyone would be going home from work and they would go shopping and get their errands done before the curfew. That meant the two boys could blend in more easily in the crowd.

Junmyeon was walking in front of Yixing and Yixing could see that the other boy was looking wildly uncomfortable amongst so many people. He had borrowed Yixing’s jacket to cover the tattered shirt he was wearing and no one even spared them a glance as they walked through the crowd. Even Yixing, who had been used to being around people, found it quite stressful to be so closely packed together with strangers.

The streets were packed with people, all rushing around and minding their own business. Yixing hadn’t known what to expect from the capital, but it was not really that different from his own hometown. Everyone was dressed neatly but quite plainly as well. Few talked amongst each other and even fewer people smiled. Despite there being a lot of people, it was eerily quiet.

It was easy to see that Junmyeon was overwhelmed yet intrigued by it all. He would send long glances at the food displays of the grocery stores they passed. Yixing imagined he hadn’t ever seen that much food in his life before. They passed a clothing store and Junmyeon stared longingly at the clean clothes in the windows.

They had no money though. Yixing hadn’t had the heart to take any of the money his parents had offered him, as they had so little to begin with. When leaving home, he had known that he would have to resort to stealing at some point. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it, but it could mean the difference between eating and not eating.

Junmyeon had told him that it would get easier with practice. The guilt would go away eventually. Once you were hungry enough, stealing would not be a problem.

With their food supplies running low, it would probably become a reality soon. With Yixing’s passport it would be easier for them to buy food once they had some money. Some stores would ID people as routine and with the passport that wouldn’t become a problem. Granted he wasn’t from the city, but they would hopefully think nothing of it.

He eyed a woman in front of him – her bag hanging low on by her side almost right beside Yixing’s hand. Was he even stealthy enough to steal from someone? How was anyone able to do it without the person noticing? Surely the person you were stealing from would feel it.

But it would be easy to disappear in a crowd like this, so going around evening time would probably be for the best.

The two of them continued slowly strolling around the city, trying to get more familiar with the stores and the streets. They would undoubtedly run into the Red Force again sometime and knowing the fastest escape route could be the difference between life and death.

Junmyeon suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, Yixing nearly running into him from behind. Yixing looked up just in time to make eye contact with a short, black-haired young man who had apparently bumped into Junmyeon.

“Excuse me,” the boy grinned before disappearing into the crowd. Yixing and Junmyeon shared a bewildered look but kept on going. It would probably be best to head back out of the city soon before everyone disappeared. The crowd had already started to thin out.

They had only just started walking again when a woman let out a frustrated scream. “My wallet!” she yelled angrily. “Someone stole it! Damned street rats!”

A small crowd started to gather around her and when getting a glimpse of her, Yixing realized it was the same woman with the bag he had been eyeing earlier. She was furiously going through the bag while yelling profanities loudly. People were staring at her, but no one was really doing anything.

Had that boy from before stolen the wallet?

“C’mon,” Junmyeon mumbled, grabbing Yixing’s arm as he started walking away.

As they left the crowd behind, two fully armed Red Force soldiers came running up to the scene. Yixing felt heat travel up his neck and he did his best not to seem out of place. But the soldiers spared him no mind as they passed, and he felt his shoulders relax again. They were there for the woman. Not them.

Wordlessly, Yixing and Junmyeon agreed that it was time for them to head back to their hideout outside the city. They didn’t want to get caught in the city after curfew again. 

They were in the outskirts of the capital just before the ruins started and everything had already closed for the day, when Junmyeon paused and gestured for Yixing to do the same. Yixing stepped forward and peeked around the corner of a house to see what the other boy was pointing at.

Someone was slowly creeping alongside the buildings on the other side of the street, just out of reach of the streetlights. They were walking sort of crouched like they were trying to hide. A stray ray of light illuminated the person’s face for a split second and Yixing realized it was the boy from earlier. What was he doing?

The boy stopped in front of what looked like a grocery store and huddled close to the door. Junmyeon and Yixing both watched silently, curious as to what was going on. Only seconds later the door opened and the boy quickly slipped inside the dark store.

Yixing looked up at Junmyeon and they shared a surprised look. Did he just break in?

It would probably have been wise to get out of the city, but neither Junmyeon nor Yixing moved, both too curious. So they waited patiently, hiding in the shadows as they kept their eyes on the dark windows of the store.

Several minutes passed where nothing happened and Yixing began to wonder if he had perhaps found another way out. But then the light in the shop suddenly turned on and an alarm began blaring somewhere inside the building. It seemed he had triggered the security system.

Both Junmyeon and Yixing quickly scuttled further back into the shadows, but again neither of them ran even though they probably should have. Yixing’s hands started getting clammy and his heartbeat picked up as he watched the door intently. Was the boy going to make it out?

They heard the Red Force soldiers before they could see them. A delegation of six fully armed soldiers came storming down the street and had the store surrounded in seconds. Yixing’s body tensed up and he pressed himself close to the wall. The boy hadn’t made it out yet.

“Come out with your hands in the air!” a soldier yelled, voice echoing through the empty streets. “Surrender yourself or we will shoot!”

A beat passed and for a second Yixing thought they would open fire on the store, but then the door opened and the boy came out with his hands up and a huge grin on his face.

“Ah, you got me,” he said with a loud exaggerated sigh.

The boy smirked and Yixing noticed a tiny speck of light blooming in the palm of his hand. Realizing at once who the boy was and what was about to happen, Yixing spun around, covering his eyes. “Cover your eyes!” he hissed at Junmyeon.

And just as Yixing had predicted the world was bathed in a light blinding enough to hurt even through his closed eyes. The boy had been the one who saved them yesterday! Him bumping into Junmyeon probably hadn’t been an accident.

The sound of glass shattering as the soldiers opened fire was deafening, and Yixing blinked rapidly to try and get rid of the spots in front of his eyes, desperate to see if the boy had gotten away.

“He -,” Junmyeon said beside him, rubbing his eyes furiously. “He was the one from yesterday! The one who helped us escape.”

“We have to help him!” Yixing said, eyes running all over the scene in front of them to try and locate the boy.

The soldiers were still firing into the store but there was no sign of him. Had he gotten away? Or had he gotten caught in the crossfire inside?

Taking a deep breath, Junmyeon held out his hands and it didn’t take long before Yixing could hear the rumbling of the sewer water nearing the surface. Like an explosion the manhole covers near the soldiers shot into the sky, showering them in wastewater. Shouts of alarm replaced the gunfire as the soldiers were hit with powerful spouts of water. Junmyeon didn’t let up for a second and kept drawing up more and more water until he was effectively washing the soldiers down the street.

Yixing took the opportunity to slip across the street, looking around to try and find the boy in the wreckage of the store.

“Quite impressive,” a voice drawled behind him and Yixing startled, spinning around. The boy was standing in the completely obliterated former doorway, arms full of groceries. He was bleeding from several cuts on his face and arms but otherwise looked quite unbothered. “And thanks, I guess. See ya.”

He began walking away, leaving Yixing bewildered. “No wait!” Yixing said and the boy paused, turning around with a sigh.

“Look, not even your friend can keep the Red Force away for long. I don’t want to get caught again,” he said, obviously frustrated. “Neither of us have time for a chat. Thanks for the help though. We’re even now.”

Junmyeon chose that moment to join them, hair soaked with sweat and he was panting like he had run for hours. The boy looked him up and down with a raised brow.

“Can we come with you?” Junmyeon asked earnestly. “We have nowhere to go.”

Distant yelling caught everyone’s attention and the boy let out another sigh. He eyed Yixing and Junmyeon one last time before giving a curt nod. “Alright. C’mon. But stick close to me.” 


	6. Baekhyun - Log 5: Home

Baekhyun glanced back over his shoulder, eyeing up the two boys who were following home closely. It was obvious they weren’t from the city and he was surprised they hadn’t gotten caught yet. Even with their powers, no Gifted lasted long in the Capital.

He remembered seeing them the night before as he was out scoping out the stores. He had gotten curious and followed them for a while until they had gotten discovered by the RF-05 robot. Watching them trying to get away from it, he had been sure they were going to get themselves either taken or killed. He hadn’t seen it coming that one of them was a Gifted – and a pretty powerful one at that.

For some reason, he had decided to risk his own neck to try and help them. And when he had seen them in the streets again that day, he was curious and wanted to get a closer look.

Having them tag along like this hadn’t been a part of his plan. But by the looks of the shaggy backpack they were carrying, they didn’t have much and he felt a little bad for them. It had been almost empty when Baekhyun had filled it with the food he had stolen. And they had just helped him out of a tricky spot after all, he couldn’t just leave them.

He had managed to go mostly unnoticed by the authorities so far, stealing what he needed and keeping his head low. Having to hide another two people with him was risky. But... Baekhyun had been on his own for so long. He had no one to talk to; no one to come home to but a dark pit in the ground. He was lonely.

If risking his neck meant that he would potentially have some allies in this hellhole of a city, he was willing to do it. And having other Gifted with him would also mean more protection. Taking down an RF-05 robot would become a lot easier.

With all these thoughts at the back of his mind, Baekhyun barely hesitated as he slipped into a closed courtyard behind some abandoned apartment buildings. He located the grid easily, rolling away the dumpster he always placed over it whenever he was out. The grid creaked weakly as he lifted it from the ground.

Baekhyun then conjured a small orb of light on his hand and dropped it down into the darkness before turning around to the two boys behind him.

“After you,” he grinned, gesturing to the now dimply lit ladder leading down into the hole in the ground. The two Gifted shared a hesitant look and Baekhyun sighed impatiently. They couldn’t stand around out there all day. The apartments may have been abandoned for years, but they could still get spotted.

“Could you decide whether you trust me or not after we’re safe? I don’t really fancy getting picked up by the Red Force but I don’t know about you.”

That seemed to do the trick and the smaller of the two, the one who had controlled water, was the first to start the climb down. Once his head had disappeared into the darkness, the second, taller boy began the climb and finally, Baekhyun followed last.

He made sure to pull the grid back in place, securing it with a padlock. The key was kept safely around his neck at all times.

As he climbed down, the dim light from the surface turned to darkness and for a while, he was enveloped in complete blackness. Then the light from below reached his feet and as he dropped to the ground, he could see the worried faces of the two Gifted illuminated by the orb of light he had dropped earlier.

The small light didn’t reach far and to them, the darkness surrounding them was probably unsettling. To Baekhyun it was home. With a nonchalant wave of his hand, Baekhyun led the two confused boys down the dark tunnel, gravel crunching beneath their shoes. Two rights and a left and they had arrived. 

As he did every day upon returning home, Baekhyun closed his eyes and called upon the light in his heart. He didn’t have to see to know what was happening. Hundreds of tiny orbs of light were forming around him, floating up to illuminate the space around him. 

Baekhyun knew it like the back of his hand. The mostly caved-in subway platform that he had covered almost completely with any soft fabrics he could get his hands on; the tiny maintenance storage room with the unhinged door where he kept food and supplies; the corner behind some rubble of pillars where he had made his bed. If you edged around a cave-in that would have led out into the subway station itself, there was a small bathroom as well. Almost everything was destroyed, but there was running water.

It wasn’t much but to Baekhyun it was home. It was all he had known for many years.

He had accidentally stumbled upon this space while on the run from the Red Force and he had escaped down into an open manhole in the street. That opening had been destroyed, but Baekhyun had later come back to try and find another entrance, knowing it would be a safe place to stay. And over the years, it had become his safe space.

“Whoa,” one of the boys behind him breathed in awe. “This is amazing.”

“It’s not much,” Baekhyun said, looking around and he felt a surge of pride.

He turned to look at the two strangers and smiled. “I’m Baekhyun by the way. Thanks for the help earlier.”

“Junmyeon,” the smaller of the two introduced himself. Now that Baekhyun could get a better look at him, he noticed how shabby he looked. Gaunt, unkempt and his clothes hung off his body torn and stained. He looked like he had been through hell.

“Yixing,” the other boy said with a kind smile. He, on the other hand, looked a lot neater. Tired and worn but that was not unlike most of the people in the city. “And we’re only paying you back for your help. You really saved us from that RF-05.”

“I guess we’re even then,” Baekhyun grinned. Despite having brought strangers into his home, he didn’t feel on edge. It may have been the loneliness screaming louder than his sense of survival, but he didn’t really care anymore.

“You’re still bleeding,” Yixing said with a worried frown. He held his hands up in front of him as if he wanted to touch Baekhyun’s arm. “I can help you, if you want.”

Baekhyun looked down at his own hands and arms, only now noticing the quite painful sting of the still-bleeding cuts. There was something warm running down his temple. He probably looked a mess. Damned glass window. He really shouldn’t have been that reckless today; it could have gone wrong without Junmyeon and Yixing showing up.

“He’s a healer,” Junmyeon explained after Baekhyun hadn’t said anything for a while.

“Oh,” Baekhyun said. So that was his gift. He had been wondering. “Sure, go ahead.”

Yixing’s palms were burning against Baekhyun’s skin but there was no pain as the healer gently worked over every single cut on Baekhyun’s hands and arms.

“That’s so cool,” Baekhyun mumbled in awe, watching in fascination as the cuts disappeared, leaving behind only faint white lines. “And very convenient. I always get hurt.”

“I’m happy to help,” Yixing smiled, moving on to the cuts on Baekhyun’s face. “I can’t fight like you and Junmyeon, but I can at least do this.”

“I can’t really fight either,” Baekhyun said with a shrug. “Light can’t actually hurt anyone. It’s good as a distraction but not much else.”

“Well, looks like we’ll make a good team then?” Junmyeon said with a wide grin. “Our powers complement each other. That is – assuming we’re allowed to stay?”

Baekhyun looked at the two Gifted. He had plenty of room; more than enough food. Of course, greater numbers meant a higher risk of getting discovered but with their combined powers they would be stronger. He pretended to think it over, when in reality he had already made up his mind the second he allowed them to follow him home.

“Why not,” he said, feeling a smile growing on his face. He would no longer be alone.

“First though,” he continued, eyes moving over to Junmyeon, scanning him up and down. “I have a bunch of clothes you can choose from, you could really use some new ones,” he pointed towards the direction of his bathroom. “There’s a new razor in there as well, knock yourself out.” 

Junmyeon’s ears went red and he looked down himself, grinning sheepishly. “Yeah, that would be really nice. Thank you Baekhyun.”

As he disappeared around the corner, Baekhyun threw himself down onto a lump of soft pillows and blankets that he used as a couch. Yixing kept standing for another couple of seconds, before gingerly making himself at home as well, placing the backpack at his feet. It was stuffed full of the groceries Baekhyun had stolen earlier but Baekhyun couldn’t be bothered putting them away now. Everything was canned so it wasn’t like anything could get spoiled anyway.

He hadn’t even really needed the food actually but he had been bored and felt cooped up staying inside. A little fight with the Red Force was better than dying of boredom.

It had been getting worse lately. The boredom. The crushing loneliness. That was probably why he had taken the risks he had; helping Junmyeon and Yixing escape the RF-05; purposely bumping into Junmyeon in hopes of catching their attention. Taking them to his home.

Beside him, Yixing had begun to hum absentmindedly to himself and Junmyeon was rustling about in the bathroom. Baekhyun hugged his knees to his chest, hiding a teary smile in his arms. 


	7. Timestamp 1 - Junmyeon; Us Against the World

”Come on, let’s go!” Baekhyun yelled as he sprinted down the street, long coat billowing behind him. People had to jump out of the way to avoid getting trampled down and angry shouts followed the boy.

Junmyeon wasn’t far behind him, laughing loudly as he took in the shocked faced of everyone he passed. No one made a move to stop them and he felt invincible, adrenaline pumping through his body. He could hear the Red Force soldiers somewhere behind him, but they would never catch them now. The soldiers didn’t know the city like the Gifted did.

A purse was dangling from Junmyeon’s hand as he ran and he could still hear the woman’s angry screams as he swiped it. But he didn’t even care.

In front of him, Baekhyun looked over his shoulder and winked as he turned down another street, catching the purse Junmyeon threw at him in the last second. He made a large ruckus, kicking over a trash can as he ran, attracting as much attention as possible. Junmyeon didn’t follow but continued down the main street, stuffing the wallet from the purse into his back pocket.

He ducked into a crown of people that were gathered around a stall selling fresh produce, and he quickly shed his jacket and the hat he had been wearing, kicking it in under the stall to hide it. People barely noticed him squeezing in. Fresh produce was rare, so he wasn’t the only one shoving and squeezing closer to the stall, people shouting over each other to try and outbid everyone else.

The Red Force soldiers yelled somewhere behind him, and he took a couple of deep breaths before leaving the crowd, strolling on leisurely like nothing had happened. He thought he could hear Baekhyun shouting in the distance, luring the soldiers further away, and he smiled.

But not all the soldiers had followed Baekhyun and Junmyeon tried to act as nonchalant as possible, studying some mannequins in a shop display intently as the neared. When the soldiers passed him, he mirrored the reactions of the people around him, looking up confused and alarmed as they thundered by.

He continued his slow stroll down the street and as he passed an alley, he swiftly pulled out the walled and chucked it to the side. Yixing caught it with a grin, pulled out the money, dropped the wallet in a dumpster and then passed Junmyeon, heading back down the street from where Junmyeon had come from.

They had all agreed that they were eating a feast that night, and Yixing was off to buy some proper meat for them all with the money they had just stolen. Junmyeon slipped into the alley where he made himself comfortable behind a row of dumpsters. The butchers was nearby, so if something happened he could quickly come to Yixing’s aid.

It was the same alley from where Baekhyun had first saved Junmyeon and Yixing from the RF-05 robot. There were still scrapes along the concrete walls.

It felt like a lifetime ago that Junmyeon had fought the robot, scared for his and Yixing’s life, but it had only been a month. A month since their little ragtag group had found each other and decided they would stick together. They wanted to celebrate that.

If things had gone to plan, Baekhyun would be waiting for them at home ready with the fire going. They rarely lit fires in their home because of the smoke; even with the vents it got hard to breathe down there, and the smoke rising from the grids could attract attention. This was a special occasion though, so they took the risk.

It didn’t take long for Yixing to show up with the white paper-wrapped meat in his hands.

“Let’s go,” he said quickly through a forced smile. “They looked at me strangely when I showed my ID. Better disappear before they come asking questions.”

Junmyeon nodded and the two of them disappeared into the maze of alleys in the outskirts of the city.

⋆

They spent the night eating until they felt sick, laughing and swapping stories around the fire. They had all suffered in ways non-Gifted people could never understand but they no longer had to suffer alone. With each other, they would help each other forget for at least a little while and pretend they were normal.

Junmyeon had never felt like that before – a pure light of happiness drowning out all the dark thoughts in his mind. He was laughing loudly, drunk on happiness and he wondered how he had ever made it this far on his own without anyone by his side.

That night they all made a vow; they would stick together no matter what. It was them against the world – against the government. They would fight until the end if they had to. For each other. 


	8. Baekhyun - Log 6: Burnt and Broken

Sirens in the distance had Baekhyun’s blood running cold as he sprinted down the dark street. They were nearly out of time. He faltered for a second, wondering if he should give up his pursuit and turn back to help Junmyeon and Yixing.

He glanced back over his shoulder, face lit up by the towering flames behind him. An apartment building was being swallowed by fire, the bright orange flames lighting up the dark night as the fire licked up the sides of the worn building. Baekhyun could feel the heat of it from where he stood.

There were people on the street screaming and crying. The smell of burnt plastic and smoke was nauseating. Many people still hadn’t made it out of the building and it felt like someone squeezed Baekhyun’s heart at the pained screams coming from the blown-out windows. At the foot of the building lay two still-burning bodies.

Junmyeon was trying in vain to summon enough water to put out the fire, pulling it from every sewer nearby but it was not enough. The fire kept spreading and growing wildly as if it had its own life. Yixing was trying to help the survivors, who all suffered from burns, but only few people would let him near them. They didn’t trust him because he was a Gifted, it didn’t matter that he was trying to help.

The authorities would be there soon to take over control of the scene, but Baekhyun feared it was too late for anyone not already out. The fire was out of control.

Baekhyun looked back ahead, where he just managed to spot a glowing figure disappear around a corner. His decision was made – he couldn’t do anything to help here but that person could still be saved. So he kept running. Junmyeon and Yixing could handle themselves, he knew they could.

It was hard to breathe as he ran; the smoke lying thickly over the street in the windless night. His lungs were burning but he pulled his shirt up over his mouth and kept running. He couldn’t let them get away.

The three of them had been out strolling through the streets, enjoying a, for once, starry night when an explosion had broken the silence. Orange flames shot out of a window, glass shards raining down on them like snow. Screaming drowned out the roaring fire and two figures were thrown from the window, bodies on fire. They stopped screaming when they hit the ground with a dull thud that echoed down the street, but the fire kept eating at their clothes and skin.

Even through the fire, Baekhyun had recognized their uniforms – Red Force soldiers.

The fire had kept pulsing out of the window like heaving breaths until the whole top half was engulfed. While trying to help the residents evacuate the building, Baekhyun had spotted someone trying to make their escape from the fire. Despite the fire already lighting up the night, the person seemed to glow on their own.

Baekhyun took a sharp turn where he had seen the figure disappear to and came to halt realizing it was a dead-end alley. He slowly crouched down, pulling the shirt away from his face, eyes going wide at the sight in front of him.

At the end of the alley sat a figure curled up, trembling with heaving sobs that shook their whole body, and they seemed completely unharmed by the flames burning away their clothes, licking up their skin. Their whole body was on fire.

“Hey,” Baekhyun spoke softly, not wanting to scare them. The person startled and shuffled backwards, pressing themselves against the brick wall. The crying got louder and they curled up, trying to seem smaller.

“No no, it’s okay,” Baekhyun quickly said, holding up his hands to show that he meant no harm. “I’m here to help. I won’t hurt you, I promise.”

The person peeked up from where they had been hiding their face in their arms and, for the first time, Baekhyun could get a clear look. It was a young man, probably around Baekhyun’s own age. Wide, scared eyes reflected the flames around them and when they made eye contact with Baekhyun’s, they quickly looked away.

“Hey, look at me,” Baekhyun said, keeping his voice gentle. The boy hesitantly raised his gaze again, meeting Baekhyun’s eyes. Baekhyun smiled reassuringly as he was met with a gasp and glowing orange eyes, reacting to his own glowing white. “I’m a friend. I won’t hurt you.”

Baekhyun shuffled a bit closer but the boy frantically shook his head, pressing himself even closer to the wall behind him. “ _Don’t_!” he begged, voice panicked.

“It’s okay,” Baekhyun repeated. “I won’t hurt you, I just want to help. Will you stop the fire for me? I can’t see if you’re hurt.”

“I _can’t!”_ the boy cried. “I can’t stop it! But I didn’t mean to! I really didn’t! I tried to control it but they wouldn’t _leave_ and – “

The more frantic he became as he spoke, his voice now borderline hysterical, the larger and wilder the flames around him became, and Baekhyun had to back up, the heat of it nearly painful.

The boy’s breath got caught in his throat and as he cried out in frustration, the flames lashed out, making Baekhyun rear back, cradling his hand to his chest. His hiss of pain didn’t go unnoticed and the boy began apologizing frantically.

“No no _no_ ,” he began chanting to himself, covering his ears with his hands as he began rocking back and forth. His breathing was erratic and violent as he fought to catch his breath. “Leave. Leave. _Please leave._ ”

Baekhyun didn’t know what to do. The flames made it impossible for him to get close and raised the risk of them getting discovered. He couldn’t leave him though. There was no way. The poor boy was terrified out of his mind and clearly unable to control his powers right now. Leaving him to be found by the Red Force was a death sentence. Baekhyun couldn’t fight off the Red Force alone and the boy probably wouldn’t even try.

“I’m not leaving without you, okay?” Baekhyun said, crawling closer again despite the flames getting dangerously near his face. “But I need you to work with me, okay? Can you do that?”

When the boy didn’t respond, Baekhyun tried again. “I’m Baekhyun – can you tell me your name?”

“C-Chanyeol,” the boy choked out and Baekhyun sighed in relief. He wasn’t completely lost.

“Okay, Chanyeol, thank you. Now Chanyeol, I need you to look at me, okay?”

It took a while but Chanyeol raised his head just enough to look at Baekhyun. Holding out his hand, Baekhyun took a deep breath trying to calm his own pounding heart. He formed a ball of light in the palm of his hand that slowly began pulsing along with Baekhyun’s breathing.

“Chanyeol, breathe with me. Just like this,” Baekhyun said, voice calm despite every muscle in his body screaming at him to back away from the fire. “Focus on the light.”

Baekhyun could have cried with relief when it seemed to finally work. Chanyeol’s frantic breathing slowly turned to long, shaky breaths. His body stopped trembling and instead went lax from the strain of having been tensed up for so long. He let out a pitiful sob as the flames went out and his eyes teared up again. He buried his face in his knees as he started crying. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” he cried, shoulders shaking.

Now Baekhyun could move closer and he put a reassuring hand on Chanyeol’s knee, the other boy startling a little. “Chanyeol, we need to get out of here. It’s not safe.”

The sirens had reached the site of the fire just down the street now, and Baekhyun could hear the firefighters’ shouts as they tried to get the fire under control.

“I have nowhere to go,” Chanyeol said, voice slightly slurred. “You should just let them take me. It’ll be safer for everyone.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Baekhyun mumbled. “You’re coming with me.”

He got up and went to peek out of the alley. The firefighters were occupied with the fire so they wouldn’t notice them slip away. It would be a lot harder once the Red Force was called when the survivors told them about a mutant starting the fire. He couldn’t see Junmyeon nor Yixing and he prayed they had been able to get away in time.

“Alright Chanyeol, we can get out of this but you need to do everything I say, okay?” Baekhyun said, turning around. He was met with a burning hot, naked chest a lot closer than he had expected and he jumped back with an embarrassing squeak. He hadn’t heard Chanyeol walk up behind him. The first thing Baekhyun noticed was how tall Chanyeol really was when standing up, a lot taller than he had seemed curled up on the ground. And the second – he was completely naked, his clothes having been burnt away. Baekhyun immediately spun around again, quickly shrugging off his jacket to give to Chanyeol. “Take this!”

“S-sorry,” Chanyeol mumbled embarrassed and Baekhyun could hear him fumbling with the jacket for a while. “You can… uhm, you can turn around now.”

Chanyeol had tied the jacket around his waist to cover up. It was probably too small to fit his broader shoulders and wouldn’t reach down far enough.

“Right, uhm,” Baekhyun started, shaking his head. “Stay right beside me okay? The Red Force will be on the lookout for you soon, so we need to be fast before they’re everywhere. I don’t live far from here though, so we should be able to make it.”

He looked up at Chanyeol who, although rightfully looking like he had been through hell, nodded. His determination quickly wavered though as he looked out at the street, his eyes flickering in the direction of the fire.

“Don’t look back, okay!” Baekhyun demanded, looking straight in Chanyeol’s eyes. “I need you focused. Look at me and you’ll be fine.”

Chanyeol swallowed nervously but nodded again, clenching his fists.

Baekhyun had them taking the long route back home just in case anyone tried to follow them. Not once did he look back but he was constantly aware of Chanyeol’s presence as the boy had nearly glued himself to Baekhyun’s side.

At some point, like the sky knew it was needed, it started pouring rain, quickly drenching both boys completely. It felt like a welcome shower after the heat of the fire and though it stung, the cold water felt nice on Baekhyun’s burned hand.

They reached the entrance to the subway tunnels and Baekhyun turned to Chanyeol. Despite being nearly a head taller than Baekhyun, he looked terribly small. His hair was matted down by the rain and his whole body was trembling from the cold. Baekhyun’s jacket didn’t give much protection against the cold rain.

“You are welcome to stay with us,” Baekhyun said. “But tell anyone about this place and we will hunt you down.”

Chanyeol took a small step back in fear, because Baekhyun was not joking. This was their safe haven and anyone who tried to take that away would be very sorry.

“I – I won’t,” Chanyeol promised in a small voice. “You saved me. I wouldn’t do that.”

“I believe you,” Baekhyun said, cocking his head with a smile. “Now come on, you need some clothes.”

Chanyeol didn’t even hesitate to follow Baekhyun down into the darkness. 


	9. Chanyeol - Log 7: Cursed or Gifted?

Chanyeol stared blankly at the small glowing orb in his palm. Its shimmering light was soothing, and it was thrumming softly in his hand, almost like a heartbeat. It helped ground him.

He was sitting curled up in the corner of the subway platform, wrapped in a blanket though still feeling terribly cold. Kind of ironic, having fire powers but always feeling cold.

‘Gifted’ the others had called him though Chanyeol knew it wasn’t true. He was cursed.

He could hear Yixing and Baekhyun talking quietly somewhere behind him, their voices white noise in Chanyeol’s head. They had been nothing but kind to him since he arrived. He still remembered when Baekhyun had brought him to the subway, freezing cold and terrified. Yixing and Junmyeon hadn’t asked any questions, hadn’t thrown any blame. They had simply accepted him. But Chanyeol didn’t deserve it. Not after what he had done.

It had been three days and he had barely moved from his spot in the corner. Occasionally, someone would come and sit with him, urging him to eat something or to just keep him company. And Chanyeol would eat whatever they had brought to please them.

Their friendship was all he had ever wanted, and all he had never had. He had no family. It was too dangerous anyway, for him to get close to anyone. So, he had kept a low profile, getting a boring desk job, and never talking to anyone he didn’t have to. His colleagues caught on quickly and stopped trying to talk to him. It was surprisingly easy, going under the radar.

Or so he had thought. Until the Red Force came knocking on his door after receiving an anonymous tip.

He envied the three Gifted so much. Despite living in a dark hole like this, hiding from the world, they were freer than he had ever been.

A flash of fire and pained screaming shot through his head like a bullet and he whined, curling up to try and hide from the horrible memories. The screaming kept him awake at night. He couldn’t stand the darkness. Baekhyun’s light would help sometimes but not enough. Chanyeol preferred the glowing orbs over the artificial light from the battery-driven lanterns they used when Baekhyun was out.

Sometimes, he wished that Baekhyun had let the Red Force take him. But… he didn’t want to die either. Chanyeol wanted to live. To be happy. But, how could he? He was a monster.

⌖ 

“Chanyeol, is there anything you’d like to eat?” Junmyeon asked softly, kneeling down beside Chanyeol. “Baekhyun will be back soon. You are welcome to join us for lunch today if you want?”

Chanyeol’s heart hurt at the kind smile on Junmyeon’s face. The elder was always so patient with him even though Chanyeol had done nothing to deserve it. Junmyeon never asked any prying questions but somehow always knew what Chanyeol needed anyway, whether it was company or peace and quiet. Sometimes he would sit with Chanyeol for hours in silence, and other times he would tell stories about his life. On those days, Chanyeol couldn’t help but be drawn out of his shell. He had so many questions. How had Junmyeon been able to go on for so long without giving up?

Baekhyun and Yixing shared their stories too and strangely, Chanyeol found comfort in knowing that he wasn’t the only one who had suffered for being born abnormal. He admired them for fighting. Fighting for the right to be happy. For the right to live.

It had been a couple of weeks before Chanyeol had been able to open up with his own story. How he had been left at an orphanage by his parents when he was seven years old because they couldn’t afford a child. How he had never made any friends because he was scared someone would find out what he really was. And how he, after accidentally burning another kid, had to move out and survive on his own at sixteen. No one had suspected he was a mutant, so he was luckily able to get some low-paying jobs here and there and he eventually found a tiny one-bedroom apartment. Now, that was gone too…

But… Chanyeol had started to feel something lately that he never really had before. He felt ashamed that he would even dare to feel like that after what he had done. But he was happy.

Though he was still plagued by guilt and nightmares, the others did everything they could to support him. Because they saw him as a friend. Chanyeol knew he didn’t deserve their friendship, but he was so starved of any type of affection that he couldn’t stop it. Didn’t want to.

Yixing with his kind smile and endless patience, Junmyeon with his brotherly nagging and affections, and Baekhyun with his loud laugh and warm hugs. Chanyeol wanted it all.

“Come find us when you’re hungry,” Junmyeon said, bringing Chanyeol out of his thoughts. He must have taken Chanyeol’s silence as rejection.

“I will,” Chanyeol said quietly, feeling bad for unintentionally ignoring his friend. “Thanks, hyung.”

Junmyeon smiled and nodded before getting up, patting Chanyeol on the shoulder as he left the corner Chanyeol had made his own.

They always asked him to join them and never got mad when he told them no. Not once had they forgot about him or ignored him. After having been invisible for most of his life, Chanyeol didn’t know what to do with all the attention he was suddenly getting.

As if on cue, Chanyeol’s stomach rumbled and he realized how hungry he was. Had he eaten breakfast that day? He couldn’t remember. It was rare Chanyeol actually dared to join the others, though they offered, because he felt like he was intruding. But he was feeling good today, so perhaps it would be okay to eat lunch with them.

“Honeys, I’m home,” Baekhyun called cheerfully as he emerged from the darkness. He was carrying a small plastic bag that he went to empty in their storage closet. They had nearly run out of batteries so Baekhyun had taken a quick trip to the city above. “What’s for lunch?” he yelled with his head in the closet. “I’m starving.”

“Same as always,” Junmyeon answered with a sigh though he was smiling. “Pick your can.”

Chanyeol smiled to himself as they continued to bicker while Baekhyun went through the pantry. Before joining the others, Chanyeol went to the bathroom to wash his hands. He avoided looking at himself in the mirror, already knowing he wouldn’t like what would be staring back at him. Some cold water in his face helped lift some of the haze in his mind.

When he returned from the bathroom, Chanyeol realized that the bickering had turned into hushed whispers and he paused, straining his ears to try and hear what was being said. Why were they suddenly so serious?

“We need to tell him!” It was Yixing’s voice that rose a bit louder over the others’ first. Tell who what?

“He’s just starting to get better,” Baekhyun hissed back. “This will only make it worse.”

“But if he finds out before we tell him, he’ll lose trust in us,” Yixing countered. “Baekhyun, he needs to see this.”

Chanyeol’s hands felt clammy and he struggled to hear what they were saying over his own heartbeat loud in his ears. They were talking about him, he knew it. What was it that Baekhyun didn’t want him to see? Chanyeol wanted to know. Even if it was bad. The thought of them knowing something about him that he didn’t was horrible.

“I think Yixing is right, Baekhyun,” Junmyeon eventually said. “Chanyeol might want to try and go outside soon, so he has a right to know. We can’t keep him down here forever.”

“But – “ Baekhyun started to protest, but Chanyeol cut him off, stepping out from where he had been hiding. The three looked up at him startled and Baekhyun quickly hid something behind his back.

“Baekhyun, it’s okay,” Chanyeol said, holding out his hand. He was grateful that he had a friend who cared about him enough to want to protect him but… “I want to know.”

With a reluctant sigh, Baekhyun handed over what he had been hiding. Chanyeol looked at the piece of crumpled up paper, his hands trembling as he turned it over. Ice cold water washed over him as he was greeted with a photo of himself under the bold headline ‘ _WANTED MUTANT’._ It felt like someone was sitting on his chest as his eyes slowly ran over the text.

_Mutant wanted for the murder of six civilians. Extremely dangerous, do not approach. Tips will be rewarded._

Six people… Chanyeol swallowed back tears. Six people had died in that fire and now he was a wanted murderer. The paper crumbled in his hands as he balled up his fists and he didn’t even try to stop it when it caught on fire.

“Chanyeol…” Baekhyun, voice soft. “It wasn’t your fault.”

The burnt paper fell to the ground, blackened. The fire had eaten away most of Chanyeol’s face in the picture, leaving behind a distorted figure. A monster.

It was Chanyeol’s fault. He should never have tried to fight the Red Force. He should just have let them take him.

He felt a tear run down his cheek and he quickly wiped it away before turning his back to the others. “’M not hungry,” he mumbled, voice breaking. He felt like throwing up.

The others tried to talk to him, but their words fell short. Nothing they said could make him feel better. He found comfort in his corner where he curled up again.

Maybe Baekhyun had been right. Maybe it had been better Chanyeol had never found out. But Junmyeon had been right as well – Chanyeol had thought about wanting to try and go outside again. If he had gone outside and seen his face plastered on posters all over the city… something or someone would have been hurt by his meltdown.

Tears streamed silently down his face as he hid his face in his arms. Why had he been cursed like this? What had he done to deserve this?

A soft blanket was wrapped around his shoulders and someone sat down next to him, leaning their head on his shoulder. Chanyeol didn’t have to look to know who it was. He would recognize that soft humming anywhere. As loud as Baekhyun could be, he knew when to quiet down.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Baekhyun mumbled. “But I don’t regret saving you.”

All Chanyeol could do was to let out a pitiful sniffle. He believed Baekhyun. He hoped, he would be able to agree with him one day too. 


	10. Timestamp 2 - Yixing; A Family of Broken Pieces

Yixing glanced over at the corner where Chanyeol sat, curled up and staring blankly at the wall. He had once again declined to join them for dinner, though Yixing had tried to gently insist.

Both Baekhyun and Junmyeon were shooting worried looks at the lone boy as well. They were all worried about him. Ever since he saw the wanted poster, Chanyeol had completely shut down and retreated back into his shell.

He had just started to open up and get some self-confidence after a couple of weeks with them in the subway. The nightmares had become less frequent, and he seemed to have become more relaxed. He had seemed happier. They had even managed to bring out some smiles from him every now and then.

The smiles were long gone now.

It was horrible, watching Chanyeol just slowly fade away again. Yixing felt powerless. He wished more than anything that his powers were able to heal minds as well as bodies. A broken bone was easily fixed, but a broken mind… Yixing could do nothing.

“I don’t know what to do,” Baekhyun said quietly, speaking Yixing’s mind. He glanced back over at Chanyeol again, worrying his lower lip. “I’m really worried about him. He’s not eating enough.”

“There isn’t much we can do,” Junmyeon sighed. “We can’t force him to get better.”

“Then what?” Baekhyun hissed. “We’re just gonna let him waste away?”

Junmyeon frowned and opened his mouth to retort but Yixing raised his hand. “Please, this isn’t going to help anyone,” he said. Both Junmyeon and Baekhyun shut up and looked at the ground.

“We’re not going to give up, Baekhyun,” Yixing continued. “You know we wouldn’t, he’s one of us. There is only one thing we can do, and it’s to be there for him. Like we’ve always been. Give him the space he needs, but make sure he knows we won’t be giving up on him.”

Baekhyun sighed but probably knew Yixing was right. There really wasn’t anything else they could do. Hopefully, it would be enough.

“Alright,” Baekhyun then said, sounding resigned. He got up, picking up another can of warm mystery stew before heading over towards Chanyeol. The taller barely reacted to Baekhyun joining him but eventually did accept the can that was held out to him. Baekhyun was speaking to him softly, encouraging him to eat.

“Do you think he’ll get better this time?” Junmyeon asked after a while, staring into the light in front of them. “The poster affected him more than I thought it would. Maybe Baekhyun had been right, and we shouldn’t have shown him.”

“We have to believe he’s going to get better,” Yixing said, trying not to let his own worry shine through his voice. “He needs us to believe in him. We can’t change what happened, but we can be there for him now.”

Yixing had been wondering too, if showing the wanted poster to Chanyeol had really been the best idea. But he couldn’t dwell on the past, not when Chanyeol needed them now more than ever.

Junmyeon nodded but didn’t say anything. They continued eating in silence. Baekhyun’s hushed voice could just barely be heard over the otherwise ambient noises from the abandoned subway.

It was times like these, where Yixing found himself missing his parents. They always knew just what to do and what to say when times were hard. Compared to the others, Yixing’s upbringing had been privileged. He had never known what it felt like to need anything, as his parents had always worked hard to provide for him.

Yixing hoped he could become someone like that for his new family. Someone they could trust and rely on. Someone they could come to when they needed to get something off their chest. He hadn’t expected to find a new family when he first left home. Had never thought he would end up living like this. It was hard and it would probably not get any easier in the future. But right then, Yixing couldn’t see himself anywhere else.

They might all be damaged in different ways, but together they could all help each other heal. Someday, they would get their happy endings. They would get to live the life they deserved.

These boys deserved to live a life without fear. There wasn’t much Yixing could do to change the world around them, but down in the subway station, he wanted them all to have a safe space. A home with a family. 


	11. Chanyeol - Log 8: Like Lightning From A Clear Sky

Chanyeol took a deep breath of the cool night air. There was just a hint of stars in the velvet blue sky above him as there were no streetlights near them to pollute the light. It was rare Chanyeol ventured outside and even then, it was never during the day. It had been months since he last saw the sun. The moon was good enough for him though.

“Nice weather for a walk,” Baekhyun said, stretching his arms with a satisfied groan. “Better get going before mum and dad become worried that we’re taking too long.”

Baekhyun’s puppy eyes were highly effective at convincing Junmyeon and Yixing to let them go out for walks at night alone – without parental supervision as Baekhyun called it. And recently, Chanyeol had discovered that they were even weaker against his own pouting face. When he and Baekhyun teamed up, they were invincible.

Chanyeol’s heart was beating excitedly in his chest and his body felt jittery. It was always a thrilling experience going outside and the nervousness never really left him. His wanted posters had been covered with layers of the newest wanted mutants and shop advertisements, but he was still terrified of getting discovered.

“Thanks for coming with me,” Chanyeol said, the nighttime walk having been his idea.

“Are you kidding? Any chance of going out and you know I’m in,” Baekhyun grinned, already on his way out of the courtyard. Chanyeol shuffled after him quickly to keep up.

They strolled around the empty streets as usual, Chanyeol enjoying the cool breeze on his face and the feeling of total freedom. The same streets he had walked so many times back in his old life looked so different like this. Everything seemed bigger. But Chanyeol liked feeling small in the huge city. It felt like the whole world was open to him.

Baekhyun was the one who knew all the most exciting places to see at night and all the shortcuts to get to them, having been the one who had lived on the streets the longest. There was a square that had screens plastered all over, usually showing commercials or the rare public service announcement from the government. One of the backstreets had an illegal club that would pop up from time to time despite getting shut down repeatedly, and they could spend hours watching the kind of people who would come and go. There wasn’t much of a nightlife due to the curfew, but Chanyeol had been surprised by how many people broke the rules.

This night, Baekhyun was taking him out to the ruins by the outskirts of the city to explore. Most of them had been picked clean ages ago but it was still possible to find some cool items here and there if you were lucky.

There weren’t any lights so far out from the city centre, and they weren’t dumb enough to use Baekhyun’s powers, but the full moon gave just enough light for them to navigate around the rubble. The stars could just barely be seen over the moonlight.

This area of the ruins had been the worst affected and there were no standing structures left. Chanyeol had never been to the ruins before meeting Baekhyun and the others, and he sometimes wondered how they would look in the sunlight. Were they as ominous? It was a strange feeling, walking around the ruins, and Chanyeol had never really gotten used to it despite Baekhyun having taken him there a couple of times by now. The mood turned solemn and Chanyeol always felt like he had to whisper. It was like walking around in a graveyard. Which it kind of was. So many people had died in their homes during the war and had never been recovered to be given a proper burial.

“Oh, hey,” Baekhyun said, loud in the silence though he hadn’t raised his voice. Chanyeol looked over to see Baekhyun holding up what looked like a broken piece of clear, chunky glass. It sparkled prettily in the moonlight as he held it up. “I wonder what this used to be,” Baekhyun continued, his voice sounding wistful as he gazed at the twinkling glass. 

“It’s pretty,” Chanyeol mumbled. From where he stood it looked like a diamond, something expensive. It was too pretty to be something created from war.

Baekhyun hummed in agreement before carefully placing the glass in his pocket. Chanyeol knew he kept a box at home for all the little treasures he collected. Chanyeol had never seen what was in it.

“We should start heading back,” Baekhyun then said with a sigh, looking up at the moon again. “It’s getting late. They’re probably worried.”

Chanyeol nodded and they started making their way back through the ruins. They didn’t make it far though before Baekhyun suddenly froze, and before Chanyeol could ask what was wrong, he saw it too. Someone running across the path ahead of them before disappearing into the darkness.

“Shit,” Baekhyun hissed. “How many are there?”

Red Force soldiers never went alone. But… that person hadn’t looked like a soldier. The shadow had been too slim to carry armour, and Red Force soldiers usually never scuttled around in the dark like that. They always came in guns blazing.

Apparently, Baekhyun had come to the same conclusion as he stepped forward, raising his voice. “Oi, show yourself!”

Whoever it was didn’t listen. Their footsteps echoed through the silence, bouncing off the crumbled walls and Chanyeol couldn’t hear what direction they were running. It almost sounded like they were being circled. Were there more than one after all? He couldn’t tell. It got harder to breathe, Chanyeol’s body fighting against its fight or flight response.

A tingly feeling started spreading through Chanyeol’s body and all the hair on his body stood on end. He inhaled sharply in surprise and the taste of metal filled his senses. It was like the air around them was vibrating; buzzing with energy it was just waiting to release.

He didn’t even get to ask Baekhyun if he felt it too before he was thrown back. A flash of bright, white light blinded him and what sounded like a cannon going off right next to him had his ears ringing. His whole body was buzzing like a live wire and every muscle ached like he had run for miles. He gasped for breath, the world spinning around him as he tried to regain his bearings.

“What the _fuck_ ,” Baekhyun exclaimed, quickly staggering to his feet. He nearly fell over but caught himself in the last second. Chanyeol felt dizzy as he got up too and the white spots dancing in front of his eyes made it impossible to see anything. His ears were still ringing painfully but the sound of footsteps getting closer was unmistakable. 

“Move and I won’t miss next time,” a voice spoke somewhere to their left. A man, Chanyeol thought, but he wasn’t sure. White static had his thoughts a scrambled mess.

Chanyeol blinked rapidly to try and regain his vision. His heart was pounding, and he could feel the panic building up inside of him, clawing at his chest. He dug his nails into the palms of his hands in an attempt to keep back the fire fighting to escape.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” the voice continued, sounding weirdly pitchy over the ringing in Chanyeol’s ears. The stranger was eerily calm. “Let me pass and we can all go home.”

“We’re not Red Force!” Baekhyun spat, rubbing his eyes furiously. “God, is this what it feels like?”

The stranger’s footsteps got closer, like they were heading towards where Baekhyun’s voice sounded from, and Chanyeol’s breath got caught in his throat. It felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“D-don’t touch him!” he croaked, stumbling forward blindly to try and get in front of Baekhyun. Chanyeol didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t let whoever it was hurt Baekhyun, but he was afraid he wouldn't be able to control his fire.

Flames burst from his hands before he could stop it.

He could faintly hear the stranger swearing in surprise, but Chanyeol was staring in horror at the orange flames licking up his hands and arms. How could he protect anyone when he was even scared of himself?

“Chanyeol no, it’s okay. We’re okay,” Baekhyun said, voice surprisingly calm despite Chanyeol feeling like he was going to die. “Nothing’s going to happen to us. It’s okay. _Breathe_.”

The familiar white glow and Baekhyun’s orb filled the night and Chanyeol realized he was able to see again, the white spots almost gone. He looked around frantically to try and spot the threat, freezing when spotting a dark figure in the shadows behind Baekhyun. The fire flared up and the act of aggression was met by two glowing, yellow eyes. Another Gifted?

Baekhyun was still talking to him, trying to calm him down, but Chanyeol was frozen in place, eyes locked on the stranger.

Finally, Baekhyun turned around to see what Chanyeol was staring at. “Oi, could you leave already?” he asked as if he was completely unfazed by the dark shadow. “Or stop standing there like a creep. Can’t you see you’re freaking him out?”

The stranger let out what sounded like a laugh of disbelief and slowly stepped forward into the light. Chanyeol tensed up, feeling a low whine escape from his throat but Baekhyun shushed him calmly.

“It’s okay,” he said softly. “We’re okay.”

A young man not much taller than Baekhyun stepped into the light. He had sharp features with prominent cheekbones. Black tousled hair fell down over softly curved eyebrows and his lips were curled into an amused, albeit slightly cautious, cat-like smile. He held his hands up in surrender. Whether he was mocking them or not, Chanyeol didn’t know.

“No need for fire,” the stranger said. “As long as you don’t hurt me, I won’t hurt you.”

The pressure in Chanyeol’s chest seemed to ease up and air finally made way to his lungs. The fire died down leaving him trembling cold. He stared at the stranger warily. Baekhyun, too, was regarding the stranger, though with greater interest than fear.

The glowing sphere of light was still floating between them and the stranger, and Chanyeol felt some comfort in the shield. The young man observed the orb curiously but didn’t dare touch it, hand hovering just above the surface.

Chanyeol wanted to run, his whole body screaming at him to get away, but Baekhyun seemed in no hurry at all.

“So,” Baekhyun asked after an uncomfortable beat of silence. “What are you doing out here this late at night?”

The stranger chuckled and looked up from the orb, his grin looking twisted from the shadows cast on his face. Chanyeol shivered. “I could ask you the same thing.”

“Touché,” Baekhyun said, cocking his head to the side. “You’re not gonna tell us anything are you?”

“Of course not,” the stranger replied with a scoff. “I wouldn’t be out here unless it was necessary. Meddling with you guys only puts a target on my back.” He looked up, eyes slowly running over Baekhyun first and then Chanyeol, observing them quietly.

His stare made Chanyeol fidget, uncomfortable under his intense gaze. He saw the second the stranger recognized him – first his eyes narrowed and then they widened in surprise. A ball of ice fell into Chanyeol’s stomach.

“Hey, you’re that guy from the posters,” he accused, taking a couple of steps back and out of the light. “The one from the apartment fire. You killed all those people!” 

Baekhyun was in front of Chanyeol in a second, hands raised. The glowing orb started pulsing rapidly, showing Baekhyun’s agitation. “You do not know the whole story,” he snapped. “We’re not gonna get in your way, so why don’t you leave. Pretend you never saw us if that makes you feel better. You’re not getting the prize money for him.”

The stranger scoffed again. “You think I’m stupid enough to report him to the Red Force?” he asked. “They’d sniff me out in a second. I’m not risking my life even for money.”

They fell silent again and Chanyeol wanted nothing more than to drag Baekhyun out of there and get home already. But Baekhyun was clearly not done with this stranger yet for whatever reasons he had.

“There are more of us,” Baekhyun then said, his voice suddenly softer. “If you ever feel alone. You’re always welcome.”

Chanyeol gaped at the shorter boy. Had he gone absolutely mad? What was he doing? But as he watched the stranger’s expression change, even for just a split-second, Chanyeol understood. In that split-second, he had reminded Chanyeol of himself when he was still a part of society. Lost and lonely in a sea of people who would not hesitate to turn their backs on you the second they got a chance.

“Yeah, no,” the stranger said, forcing a laugh though his eyes wavered.

And without another word, the stranger turned and disappeared into the darkness. Chanyeol and Baekhyun shared a look, neither of them knowing what to say. They headed home, silently agreeing not to tell the others about this as it would only make them worry.


	12. Jongdae - Log 9: Worth The Risk?

Jongdae zoned out, staring at the numbers on the screen in front of him. His mind kept going back to that night though it had been days ago already. He had never seen other Gifted before, at least not free. On one hand, Jongdae was intrigued. He wanted to know more about them. The smaller of the two, the one who had some form of control over light, had said there were more of them. Could there be many?

On the other hand, it scared Jongdae. He had spent his whole life trying to fit in, trying to not get discovered. Meddling with other Gifted would only bring himself in danger. Especially since one of them, the tall on with fire control, was already wanted. Chanyeol, the other boy had called him. His face had been plastered all over the city and shown on the news. He had been just like Jongdae, someone trying to stay under the radar and just live his life. But he had been found anyway.

Not even Jongdae’s parents knew who he was – what he was. His powers had showed late, so he had been able to conceal them for this long. He had a nice apartment and a job that paid for what he needed. Being an accountant was not the most exciting work, but it was a low-profile job that didn’t require much of him. Even post-war, big companies found a way to make big money off people. This one sold bottled water at ridiculous prices, but people bought it, afraid of chlorine contamination in their tap water. Most tap water was filtered and perfectly safe to drink, but a couple of years ago a huge leak had caused several deaths and people were still paranoid.

Jongdae acted like everyone else. He socialized in the break room during lunch, he went out for the odd late night after-work drink with his colleagues. No one suspected the pure energy constantly sizzling just beneath his skin. He had a perfectly normal life, and he did not want to jeopardize that.

It was dangerous enough that he had to let the pent-up electricity out every once in a while, otherwise it would literally explode out of him when it became too much. He had learned that the hard way. Luckily, no one had been hurt.

He usually went during thunderstorms, sneaking up to the roof of his apartment building to release the lightning from within him into the dark skies above. But it had been too long since the last storm and static electricity had begun to leak from his fingers.

Jongdae had taken the chance to sneak out of the city near the least populated area. He had not expected to meet anyone out there. It had never been his intention to hurt them, had never planned to hit them directly. He was not a murderer. And Jongdae did feel kind of bad for scaring Chanyeol that bad. Chanyeol seemed to have some problems with his powers, like Jongdae would have when going too long without discharging. That was probably why he had started the fire back then too. He hadn’t meant to.

Sighing, Jongdae shook his head. He should stop thinking about them, it would only bring trouble.

He stood up and rolled his shoulders, looking over at the booth facing his own. “I’m going to get some coffee, you want any Minseok?” he asked.

His co-worker barely glanced up at him but gave a curt nod. Minseok was a man of very few words, and he rarely socialized with anyone, but since they shared an office, Jongdae felt like they were some sort of friends. Acquaintances at the most probably, and Minseok would most likely disagree.

They even lived in the same apartment complex, but Minseok would never take Jongdae up on his offers to walk together.

The coffee was too hot and tasted like the plastic from whatever artificial product it had been made of, but it helped Jongdae focus back on the numbers in front of him.

⌖

Jongdae sighed as he glared at the wall of canned food in front of him. Should he go with spam or corned beef? Or maybe just beans. Again. He looked down at the stack of protein bars already in his basket. The shelves were unusually empty that day.

He paid for his groceries and exited the shop, shielding his eyes from the sun. A familiar face in the crowd caught his eye and he blinked, narrowing his eyes. It was one of the two boys from that night. The smaller of the two, whom Jongdae never got the name of.

As if he could feel Jongdae’s eyes on him, the boy turned, and their eyes met. He tilted his head with a crooked grin, winked and then disappeared into the crowd.

The urge to follow him was nearly overpowering. Where did he live? Were the others with him, the ones he had talked about? Jongdae had often wondered how many other types of Gifted there were out there, how many types of powers there were.

But was it worth the risk? What if he was discovered? The Red Force would take him away, send him to one of their ‘rehabilitation camps’, their unofficial test-facilities. Jongdae would honestly rather die than be forced to wear their shock-collar like some slave. He refused to be controlled.

Jongdae’s feet were faster at deciding than his brain, and before he knew it, he was hurrying down the busy street, trying to keep up with the mysterious Gifted. The boy was fast, and Jongdae nearly lost him several times as he chased him through the crowd.

The whole time, Jongdae was trying to talk himself out of it, but his feet kept moving forward on their own. He was too curious. He needed to know more.

Once the crowd started to thin out, Jongdae realized he had once again lost sight of the boy. He slowed down, trying not to look too suspicious as he looked around the street. Where could he have gone?

Groceries still in hand, he glanced around to see if anyone was watching before quickly turning down a side-street. A bit further down, he spotted the boy. He was talking to another young man around his own height, excitedly showing him something from a grocery bag similar to Jongdae’s.

Suddenly feeling nervous approaching two strangers, Jongdae slowly shuffled forward, sparks crackling between his fingertips, the hair on the back of his neck standing up in anticipation. If they tried anything, he was ready.

He didn’t make it far down the street before they noticed him. They both looked up at the same time and Jongdae froze, tensing up. The one he hadn’t seen before looked alarmed at seeing someone, but the boy Jongdae had been following tilted his head again and grinned.

“Ah, so it was you I saw back there,” he said in lieu of a greeting. “Got curious, did you?”

Jongdae didn’t say anything, but it seemed the Light Gifted had told his friends about their encounter as the other boy let out a quiet ‘ah’ and was now regarding Jongdae with curious eyes.

“How is your friend?” Jongdae asked, finding his voice. He still felt guilty for scaring him so bad. He knew what it felt like to lose control. It was terrifying. If Jongdae lost control like that, people could die too.

“Chanyeol?” the Light Gifted asked, looking surprised by Jongdae’s question. “He’s fine. Calmed down after we got home. No harm done, though you did give him a good scare.”

Relieved, Jongdae nodded, feeling a bit lighter. That’s good.

“Baekhyun,” the other boy said quietly. “We should go.”

So Baekhyun was his name then, the Light Gifted. Baekhyun frowned but then nodded. He turned to Jongdae.

“What’s your name?”

“Jongdae.” Though he was still cautious, Jongdae didn’t see the harm in telling them his first name. If they wanted to hurt him, they would have done so already.

“Well Jongdae, it was nice seeing you again,” Baekhyun said with a friendly smile. “I’m afraid we’re in a bit of a hurry today though.”

Baekhyun’s friend bowed his head as a farewell and they both turned to leave. Jongdae had no idea what came over him, but he suddenly felt desperate. He didn’t want them to leave.

“Wait!” The word rushed out of him before he could stop it, and they both paused, looking back at him. “Can… can I see you again?” Jongdae had no idea what he was doing, the words coming out without his control. All he knew was that the wanted to see them again. He had so many questions.

They shared a surprised look and for a second Jongdae thought they were just going to leave. But then Baekhyun smiled knowingly at him. “We’ll be here Friday night, just before curfew. Don’t be late.”

And then they left, leaving Jongdae alone in the now completely deserted streets. He suddenly felt very exposed and very foolish. He had no business being there, risking his neck like that. And for what? Curiosity?

He hurried back to his apartment, shutting and locking the door behind him almost frantically. His heart was racing in his chest, and he jumped at every little sound his neighbours made, afraid the Red Force was going to come crashing through the door any minute.

What would he get out of meeting them again anyway? Nothing good could come of it. He should stay away.

That was what Jongdae kept telling himself as he made dinner that night. And continued to try and convince himself of the rest of the week, zoning out in front his computer at work. It was a constant nagging in his head; _don’t be stupid, don’t go, you’ll get caught, don’t be stupid._

There was no way he was going. He had a job – a life.

But as he stared at the clock on the wall Friday night, every second ticking closer to curfew, Jongdae felt increasingly restless. His knee kept bouncing nervously and his lips were nearly bitten raw.

The door swung shut quietly behind him as he hurried out of his apartment, pulling on a coat. 


	13. Jongdae - Log 10: Freeze

Jongdae let himself into the apartment building, letting out a long breath as he glanced at his watch. Just 10 minutes until curfew – he had cut it close this time. Again. He was getting too reckless. But as much as he tried to convince himself that he would be more careful in the future, he also knew he couldn’t help himself.

He passed a neighbour on his way up the stairs, nodding politely while hoping the old lady couldn’t see the pure energy buzzing through his veins. With how it felt like every nerve in his body was giving off tiny sparks, Jongdae feared he was glowing.

It was thrilling, balancing on the edge of the law. Jongdae had never thought he would step outside his small boxed world but now his boring desk-job and tiny apartment felt so… claustrophobic. There was so much of the world – even just this city – that he had never known of. 

For the past couple of weeks, Jongdae had been going out after work, slipping into the shadows of the back alleys away from curious eyes. He knew the way to the subway station by heart now, could probably walk it blindfolded.

Junmyeon and Baekhyun had endless stories to tell about their adventures and would take Jongdae with them when they went on their trips to the city above. Though it was night, Jongdae always made sure to cover his face with a cap and a mask just in case.

Yixing was comforting company, quiet and a good listener, and Chanyeol was just starting to warm up to Jongdae again after their first meeting. Especially after Jongdae had started sharing some breathing techniques to help control his powers. Jongdae understood Chanyeol’s struggles more than anyone, and he hoped he would be able to help Chanyeol gain some control over his fire.

Despite having been friendly with his coworkers, Jongdae realized that it had never been real friendships. None of his coworkers knew him, understood him. If they knew who – what – he was, they would turn on him without hesitation.

He sighed, looking at himself in the mirror as he got ready for bed. Glowing yellow eyes stared back at him and for once, they didn’t remind him how small and utterly alone he was in this huge concrete world.

⌖

“Good morning, Minseok,” Jongdae greeted cheerfully. He’d had an amazing night’s sleep after returning home from roaming the streets with the other Gifted.

His coworker barely glanced up as he returned Jongdae’s greeting with a curt ‘morning’. Jongdae could have sworn there was a small turn-up at the corner of his lips though and he took that as a victory.

He then placed a cup of coffee on Minseok’s table before sitting down, and now that was definitely a small smile playing on his lips.

A lot of the other coworkers avoided Minseok as much as possible as they either found him scary or just plain rude. Jongdae didn’t really understand and felt bad for the other, so he always did his best to try and include him. Whether Minseok appreciated the effort or not, Jongdae had yet to find out.

It didn’t take more than a couple of hours before the single cup of coffee was replaced by a large, steaming pot as Jongdae and Minseok were both slowly losing their minds over the mountains of paperwork that had been dumped on their desk that morning.

The time to go home came and went, and so did Jongdae’s hopes of another nightly visit to the subway station. Even Minseok’s usual stony shell cracked, his eyes exhausted and overwhelmed by the never-ending numbers.

It was only after curfew crept closer that the two were forced to stop so they could get home on time. Despite them having slaved over the paperwork for hours, their boss would definitely think they could have done more when they came back the next day, but Jongdae didn’t care at that moment. He just needed to get some sleep. And losing one’s job was just one of the lesser punishments for getting caught after curfew.

Jongdae was about to suggest that he and Minseok walk home together – they lived in the same apartment building after all – but Minseok was already out the door before Jongdae could say anything. Huffing, slightly offended, Jongdae began packing up his things. He could catch up to the other on the way.

The evening air was cool on his face and Jongdae took at deep, content breath after having been cooped up inside all day. The temptation to head towards the subway was strong, but Jongdae resisted. He was not yet brave enough to actually break curfew.

As it was close to curfew, the streets were almost completely deserted and Jongdae picked up the pace. The fear of being outside too late had been imprinted in every citizen since childhood and now that he was alone, Jongdae could feel it start to build up inside of him.

His heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he turned down a street only to be almost knocked off his feet by a person slamming into him. Instantly, a chill went down his spine, the stranger’s body freezing enough to be painful to touch. A hand was placed on Jongdae’s chest to shove him away, leaving behind a burning pain that had Jongdae gasping for air.

He yelped in pain and the stranger’s head snapped up at the sound. Jongdae froze, eyes widening.

Minseok was staring back at him, eyes wild and panicked. Glowing a clear blue.

They stared at each other, neither of them knowing how to react to seeing the other. The moment was broken by loud yelling nearby and Minseok reared back, looking over his shoulder panicked. Jongdae didn’t have to ask to know who was chasing him.

Jongdae barely finished the thought before he grabbed Minseok’s hand, wincing at the pain as the cold seeped into his skin, and took off down the street. There was a place Minseok would be safe if they could make it there.

Minseok struggled in his grip but Jongdae held on despite the pain. He looked back at Minseok for a second, letting his eyes glow yellow to show that they were on the same side. With a gasp, Minseok stopped struggling and instead picked up the pace.

The freezing cold emanating from his hands gradually turned warmer to the point where it was no longer painful to touch him.

“Two soldiers stopped me,” Minseok suddenly spoke up through gasps for breath. Jongdae glanced back surprised, not having expected him to say anything.

“They were bored. Tried to rile me up,” Minseok continued breathlessly. “I tried to – to control it but. They used a tazer.”

Jongdae gritted his teeth. It was a well-known occurrence that some Red Force soldiers would harass citizens in hopes of finding a Gifted. They would use any means necessary to try and provoke reactions. The fewer people that were around to witness it, the crueller they would be in their methods, but they had the authority to investigate anyone they found suspicious, so the government did nothing.

“Should have waited for me then after all, huh?” Jongdae tried to joke though it came out weak as he lost his breath. Running wasn’t his strong suit and a painful stitch in his side made it even harder.

Minseok didn’t answer but his hand tightened around Jongdae’s for a second. Whether it was an involuntary reaction or a silent thank you, Jongdae wasn’t sure.

The street in front of them was suddenly bathed in a bright red light, and Minseok was just quick enough to pull Jongdae into a tiny gap between two buildings before the light swept over the spot they had just been.

They shared a frightened look. The Red Force had sent their RF-05 robot.

“Where are we going?” Minseok asked, panting. “They’ll find us soon.”

“We’re not far,” Jongdae answered. The Subway was just a couple of streets away. They had to make it. But he couldn’t let the Red Force follow them there, it would put everyone at risk.

“Jongdae, you don’t have to do this,” Minseok then said and Jongdae looked back at him. “Get out while you still can. They don’t have anything connecting us, so they won’t look for you. They only have my name.”

Jongdae rolled his eyes and huffed, turning back around to peek around the corner into the street. The recognizable oblong shape of the RF-05 was moving up the street towards them, sweeping the red search beam slowly from side to side as it came closer.

“ _Jongdae!_ ” Minseok tried again but Jongdae glared back at him.

“Shut _up_!” he snapped. “They’ll hear you.”

And Minseok did, looking at Jongdae like he was insane. He stopped protesting and instead quietly followed after Jongdae as he quickly sprinted to the other side of the street, slipping away into the shadows of an alley. They had just made it into safety when the red search beam swept back across the street.

Afraid he would lead the Red Force directly to the subway station and his friends, Jongdae deliberately took a couple of out-of-the-way detours to hopefully confuse and throw off anyone following them.

The whole time Minseok stuck right on his heels, quietly following Jongdae’s every move. It seemed he had decided to trust Jongdae. Perhaps Jongdae’s insistent attempts at trying to befriend him had made an impact after all.

It felt like they had been running and hiding for hours when they finally reached the abandoned street where the entrance to the subway station was hidden. Jongdae hoped that someone would be home – Chanyeol rarely left so Jongdae counted on him to let them in.

With one last look around to make sure that they were alone, Jongdae pulled Minseok into the courtyard behind the decaying apartment buildings. He located the grid and started feeling up and down the bards, fingers fumbling in the dark. Minseok was staring at him but still didn’t say anything.

Finally, Jongdae’s fingers brushed against a thin piece of string tied to one of the steel bars and he pulled, a quiet tinkle of a bell breaking the silent night. He pulled it three deliberate times and then let it fall silent.

Minseok let out a soft gasp but Jongdae held up his hand to stop him from saying anything. His heart was pounding as he listened for any sign of life in the darkness below.

The sound of faint footsteps reached him from the deep and he let out a relieved breath. They were safe. 


	14. Timestamp 3 - Baekhyun; Refuge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go check out my [tumblr](https://guardians-of-exo.tumblr.com/) as well, I make lots of fun EXO stuff!xx  
> ~ M

Baekhyun sighed and stretched out with a groan, his back cracking satisfyingly. None of the boys were in the mood for a trip to the city above that night, having gone out quite often with Jongdae lately. A bit too often to be safe probably, but Baekhyun didn’t really care much. They were always at a risk of getting discovered so they might as well live a little.

It was getting quite late and it was a little strange that Jongdae hadn’t showed up yet. The little bell that Junmyeon rigged up to the grid would usually ring around this time.

Perhaps he had gotten held back at work. Jongdae had talked about the massive amounts of paperwork he often had to do, and it was during those stories that Baekhyun for once considered himself grateful for living like he did. Baekhyun was as free as one could be in a world like this; he decided everything for himself, had no one to answer to, and he wasn’t held back by something as boring as paperwork.

Though Junmyeon and Yixing sometimes stopped him from following some of his impulse decisions, Baekhyun knew they were only thinking about his safety. They never held him back against his will, but he listened because he knew that in the end, they were right. He was incredibly grateful to have them looking out for him. Chanyeol was getting braver and braver in going out with Baekhyun, and now that Jongdae was joining them as well, the nights were never dull.

On a pillow beside Baekhyun, Chanyeol was nodding off, eyes blinking tiredly in the dull light of the lantern in front of them. Yixing and Junmyeon had already gone to bed. Baekhyun yawned loudly and stretched out again. Perhaps he should turn in as well. It was too close to curfew, Jongdae wouldn’t come by now.

“Go to bed, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun said softly, suppressing another yawn. The other boy was tilting to the side dangerously and he would fall over soon if he didn’t lie down.

Chanyeol’s eyes sprung open and he looked around confused. “Huh, what?” he mumbled, smacking his lips. “Bed… yeah.”

He got up slowly and trudged sluggishly towards his sleeping area next to Junmyeon and Yixing. Baekhyun chuckled as the taller boy practically flung himself into the soft blankets with a content groan.

Baekhyun’s own pile of blankets looked warm and inviting but before he reached them, the tinkle of a bell broke through the silence. He paused and listened, unsure if he had heard right. Jongdae wouldn’t be here this late, would he? But then the bell rang again, and Baekhyun slowly made his way into the dark tunnel, careful not to make any noise.

The grid was just barely visible above him, and Baekhyun stopped to listen again.

“Chanyeol?” Someone whispered from above. “Is that you?”

So, it was Jongdae after all. Baekhyun frowned and quickly started making his way up to unlock the grid. Something was clearly wrong for Jongdae to arrive this late.

Baekhyun was back on the ground, a glowing sphere of light now in his hand, when someone started making their way down the stairs.

“Jongdae, is everything alright?” Baekhyun asked then paused as a second figure appeared above and started the climb down. 

“Wait, Jongdae, what the hell?” he hissed. He brought a stranger to their home?!

“Baekhyun, it’s okay. He’s a friend,” Jongdae reassured him as he landed on the ground in front of Baekhyun. “He’s one of us. The Red Force nearly got him, but we got away. We weren’t followed, don’t worry.”

Jongdae’s friend landed on the ground beside them. He was around Baekhyun’s own height and dressed all proper in a suit and tie. Fox-like eyes regarded Baekhyun with barely hidden mistrust and Baekhyun returned the stare. Baekhyun trusted Jongdae, but having him show up with a stranger like this in Baekhyun’s home was a lot to process.

“Baekhyun, please,” Jongdae pleaded, apparently sensing Baekhyun’s hesitance. “He’s got nowhere else to go. They have his name.”

The stranger looked at the ground and for a second his face crumbled before it once again turned into an impassive stare.

He looked too neat to be a street rat and if the Red Force had his name, he couldn’t go back to his old life again. His whole life had fallen apart in a single night.

With a nod, Baekhyun stepped back, allowing them to enter the subway station.

Any Gifted in need of refuge would always be welcome in his home.


	15. Minseok - Log 11: Safe And Sound...

Minseok was mere days away from pulling out his own hair. Time passed in a weird way when you had no access to the outside world, and it was only the cracked clock that showed any time had passed at all. It couldn’t even hang on the wall and was stood on in the floor, leaning against one of the pillars.

Only about two weeks had passed since Jongdae led Minseok to the subway station and left him there. Two weeks of Minseok not stepping a foot outside. Fourteen days without any fresh air.

Slowly but surely, Minseok was losing his mind.

The only people he saw were the four other inhabitants of the subway station. They were nice people, and Minseok found it hard to keep up his usual walls to avoid socializing. Since Jongdae didn’t show up once during the first week, Minseok had to bite the bullet and be nice to the people who had taken him in.

Chanyeol had one night mustered up the courage to shuffle over to where Minseok had been sitting brooding by himself with a deck of playing cards in his hand. Since then, the two had played way too many games of Go Fish. And after having seen Minseok make faces over some of the food they had, Yixing offered to let Minseok help cook.

Baekhyun and Junmyeon were the ones who left their home most regularly and would come back with whatever they needed. Minseok knew they were stealing it all, but he didn’t really care. The government had been ready to kill him on the spot, so he felt some satisfaction knowing that they were leeching off their rations without anyone knowing.

A couple of times, Minseok had asked if he could join them on their trips, but he was always turned down. And he understood, he really did. Apparently, his face was plastered on posters all around the city, so it wasn’t safe for him to go anywhere.

But Minseok couldn’t stand it any longer. Even though he was safe and more comfortable than he could have hoped for when on the run from the Red Force, he hated it. His job may not have been the most interesting, but it had given him a chance at a normal life. A warm bed, food on the table, clean water. Freedom.

Now he was confined in a tiny space underground with four other men. Even just the constant mess they all left behind was enough to drive Minseok up the wall. He hated it. Privacy was essential to him and now he had none. He liked the others, he really did. But it was pure torture living like that.

Once Jongdae had finally shown his face again, he had let Minseok know that their company had undergone a massive investigation. All their coworkers had been thoroughly background checked; their belongings had been searched. Some had their homes torn apart by the Red Force under the guise of looking for evidence. A manager had been fired for even hiring Minseok in the first place.

Jongdae had to stay away from the subway station in case he was being watched. Even during his first visit, he had looked scared and paranoid. Being a Gifted, there was no telling if or when he would be discovered.

Minseok felt terrible for getting him involved. Jongdae had always been nice to him despite Minseok never encouraging it. Never in his wildest imagination had Minseok thought the other boy was a Gifted too. He owed him his life and the least he could do was to lay low until things had settled down.

So, whenever Minseok felt like screaming, he would take some deeps breaths and shake the tension from his shoulders. He would get used to life in the subway someday. Hopefully.

⌖

The sound of the bell ringing frantically echoed through the subway, breaking up the pleasant chatter amongst the Gifted. Minseok looked up confused from the game of go-fish he was playing with Baekhyun and Chanyeol. Junmyeon and Yixing had just been talking quietly but they fell quiet and looked up as well.

For a couple of seconds, they were all just sitting there, listening to the sound of the bell chiming loudly. It was hours after curfew already.

Junmyeon was the first to get up, and he slowly made his way to the dark tunnel leading to the ladder. Minseok put down the cards in his hands, body tensing up. The only person who knew where they were was Jongdae but being out this late was too risky. Something was wrong.

And sure enough, Junmyeon cane back with a heavy-breathing, wild-looking Jongdae. Everyone was on their feet immediately.

“What’s wrong, Jongdae?” Yixing asked, worried.

“The Red Force found a Gifted safehouse within the city,” Jongdae explained, heaving for breath like he had run all the way there. “It’s on the news everywhere. The raid is happening right now. I ran here as soon as I saw it.”

It was like he had dropped a bomb, everyone falling quiet at the thought of their fallen kind. Minseok felt anger well up inside of him, his hands clenched tightly at his side. The Red Force… how he would love to get a chance to show them what could happen if you messed with the wrong Gifted. They had taken everything from him.

“Do you know where it is?” Baekhyun asked, already heading for the exit when Junmyeon stopped him.

“Baekhyun wait, we should think about this first,” he said with a worried frown.

“What?” Baekhyun snapped, ripping his arm away. “Did you not hear Jongdae? It’s happening _right now_! We don’t have the time to stand around and chat!”

“We know, Baekhyun.” Yixing stepped up beside Junmyeon, putting a calming hand on both of their shoulders. “But we need to think about the risks. We won’t be much help if we get caught ourselves.”

“Oh, screw that!” Baekhyun spat. He ignored Chanyeol’s feeble attempt at calming him down and brushed off Yixing’s hand as he stormed towards the exit, pointing upwards. “Right now, out there, there are people who need us. And we are the _only_ ones who can help. The only ones who care! Do _not_ tell me to just sit here quietly and let it happen.”

Minseok didn’t say anything, didn’t want to get in-between the friends, but he agreed with Baekhyun. Not only because they could hopefully save someone, but also because it would give him a chance to fight the Red Force. This time he didn’t have to try and hide, they already knew what he was.

They were quiet for a second, staring each other down before Chanyeol timidly cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention.

“Baekhyun is right,” he said, though the look terrified at the thought of actually going there.

Junmyeon and Yixing shared a look, Junmyeon then letting out a deep sigh. They knew they wouldn’t be able to stop them anyway. He turned to Jongdae.

“Show us the way.”

⌖

They arrived at what could only be described as hell on earth. The building had been completely destroyed. It appeared to have been a smaller apartment building that was now in ruins. None of the buildings around it had been damaged too badly which stood as a stark contrast to the pile of smoking rubble between. Multiple fires were burning in the rubble and a water pipe had burst, spurting water out into the street.

A lot of people were gathered in the street, curious and horrified as to what had happened. No one appeared to do anything to try and help. Perhaps they were too scared, as Red Force soldiers were still patrolling the area, searching through the rubble. None of the agents apparently cared that the onlookers were all currently breaking curfew. A single RF-05 robot lurked around the perimeter, keeping everyone at a safe distance.

The small group of Gifted observed the scene from a hiding spot in the shadows. It appeared they were too late. The raid was over and any Gifted would have been taken away or killed.

Minseok’s heart hurt. That could have been him, had he been discovered like those Gifted had. Like Chanyeol had. Getting woken up at night and attacked without warning. 

“We’re too late,” Baekhyun whispered, voice breaking.

“We should split up. Have a look around,” Minseok suggested. He couldn’t bear the thought of leaving without having done anything. There must be something they could do even with the Red Force lurking around. Even if it was just putting out the fires, something the soldiers didn’t seem to pay any mind at all despite them burning right next to the other residential buildings, Minseok wanted to do _something_.

The others hesitated for only a second before silently nodding. They all agreed to meet back up at the subway station before dawn and no later; Junmyeon made them all swear to come back home safe no matter what they had to leave behind in the rubble.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol went off into the darkness on their left to assess the back of the burning rubble, while Junmyeon and Yixing went off to put out the fires closest to the other buildings. That left Minseok with Jongdae, which he had silently hoped for.

While the others were nice enough, Jongdae was still the most familiar to Minseok. They had worked together – or rather near each other – for a long time, so he was just more comfortable around him.

They were going to look through the closest back alleys and search for any potential survivors who might have tried to flee the scene.

Minseok had lived in the city his whole life and knew a lot of the streets by heart, but never had he imagined just how big of a maze the city really was once you reached the poorer neighborhoods further from the city center. There were so many alleyways leading to other alleyways in an endless maze of dark passageways between the huge apartment blocks.

The alleyways were dark and damp, sunlight rarely reaching the ground between the looming apartment buildings. The air smelled rotten from the disturbing amount of garbage lying out in the open, and a slight breeze carried with it the scent of smoke and burning plastic from the fires. It was hard to breathe, the smell so dense Minseok could almost taste it. 

So far, they had dodged three pairs of Red Force soldiers patrolling through the alleys making their progress through the maze slower than Minseok liked. The soldiers were looking for survivors too and as they had a greater number of men, they had the advantage.

Large garbage piles and broken dumpsters were the only hiding places and Minseok hated how he could already smell the trash on his clothes. He needed a shower so bad – even just Junmyeon dumping water on him would be better than this. 

In front of him, Jongdae suddenly froze before throwing himself in behind a dumpster, dragging Minseok along with him. Minseok nearly gagged at the smell of rotting fish wafting up from the garbage bag next to him. Footsteps approached and both boys held their breath, pressing themselves back against the wall.

Low voices talking to each other reached them as the soldiers stopped too close for comfort. Jongdae squeezed his eyes shut, holding a hand in front of his mouth to silence the sound of his breathing.

Minseok spotted a crushed can near his feet and he slowly kneeled down, grabbing it tightly. Jongdae stared at him like he was crazy, shaking his head in fear of Minseok making any noise. Giving a thumbs up, Minseok slowly stood up again and he peeked out from behind the dumpster, making sure the soldiers weren’t looking their way, before taking a quick step out, launching the can as far away from them as he could.

It clattered loudly to the ground somewhere down the alley behind the soldiers and they immediately ran to investigate the noise.

Both Minseok and Jongdae let out a relieved breath only to freeze again when there was a shuffling close behind them. They slowly spun around only to see nothing but darkness.

They moved to leave as quickly as possible when the shuffling happened again, followed by a pained whimper. Minseok glanced at Jongdae who returned the startled stare. That had definitely been human. 


	16. Timestamp 4 - Chanyeol; Breathe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go check out my [tumblr](https://guardians-of-exo.tumblr.com/) as well, I make lots of fun EXO stuff!xx  
> ~ M

Chanyeol couldn’t breathe. With every inhale his senses were filled with the smell of smoke and burning plastic. The heat of a nearby fire prickled on his skin like the fire within him longed to burst out. He could have sworn he heard someone scream but he could have been imagining it.

It was like being back to that night. He thought he had managed to put it behind him, thought he had gotten better. But as soon as he and Baekhyun had begun looking through the ruins and came face to face with a burning pile of rubble, it had all come rushing back. The suffocating heat. The screaming. The panic.

He had been in bed that night, reading in hopes of calming down. It had been a long, terrible day at work, leaving him stressed and his powers restless. Even after spending nearly an hour under the cold spray of his shower, he had felt antsy and on edge. Back then his fits of restlessness had started getting worse and worse and he hadn’t known how to deal with it.

That was when his door had been kicked down, two armed Red Force soldiers storming into his tiny one-bedroom apartment. After that, all Chanyeol remembered was fire and screaming. God, the screaming. They had haunted his nightmares for months after getting saved by Baekhyun and the others.

He had almost forgotten what they sounded like.

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun’s voice brought him back out of his thoughts and he blinked. Only now did he realize that his breaths were coming out short and panicked, his whole body trembling.

“Chanyeol, are you okay?” Baekhyun asked, worried. He had a tight, almost painful grip on Chanyeol’s arm and Chanyeol tried to use that feeling to ground himself. Chanyeol tried to remember the breathing techniques that Jongdae had showed him.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly.

“If you want to go back, I’m sure the others would understand,” Baekhyun said. His voice was soft, but his eyes were frantically looking around to make sure they weren’t spotted.

“No, I – ” Chanyeol shook his head. He didn’t want to run away anymore, he wanted to help. His powers could be used for good. They could be used as a gift. He had seen the others do it and now he wanted to do his part. “I want to help.”

Baekhyun studied him for a moment and Chanyeol hoped he looked more confident than he felt.

“Let me know if it’s too much okay? Don’t push yourself too much,” Baekhyun then said, still looking worried.

Chanyeol was grateful that Baekhyun didn’t try to pressure him any further, because if he had been given another out he would probably have taken it.

The two of them began rummaging through the ruins. Not far to their left, Chanyeol could vaguely see Junmyeon trying to put out a fire while staying out of sight of the RF-05 robot. He shared a look with Baekhyun, and they slowly backed up, steering back another way to avoid the robot. They didn’t want to accidentally reveal Junmyeon’s location to the Red Force.

A gust of wind ruffled up Chanyeol’s hair and a fire beside him rose suddenly with renewed strength. Baekhyun stepped back with a hiss, startled by the flames but Chanyeol didn’t feel any pain at all. He suddenly felt completely calm.

As he stared into the flames, it felt like something in him was telling him to reach out and touch. His hand felt the warmth of the fire but not the burn. He took a deep breath and it was as if the fire breathed with him. Breath by breath the fire grew weaker and smaller, Chanyeol watching with wonder how the flames seemed to disappear into his body, absorbed by his skin.

His body felt like it was about to burst with energy but this time, Chanyeol was not afraid of his powers exploding. He breathed slowly, methodically, just like Jongdae had taught him.

When he opened his eyes, not remembering having closed them, the fire was gone, leaving not even smoldering embers behind.

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun breathed. “That was amazing!”

Chanyeol looked down at his hands, an incredible feeling of elation taking over his every sense. He had no idea he was able to do that but somehow his body had known and acted on instinct.

For the first time in his life, Chanyeol felt like he could have an actual purpose in the horrible world they were born into. 


	17. Minseok - Log 12: Chilled to the Bone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go check out my [tumblr](https://guardians-of-exo.tumblr.com/) as well, I make lots of fun EXO stuff!xx  
> ~ M

The alley was pitch black and the stench was making Minseok’s eyes water, but the night was surprisingly silent and that had definitely been a person. Had they actually found a survivor?

Jongdae caught Minseok’s eye and he tilted his head in the direction of the sound. Minseok nodded and at the same time, they slowly made their way into the darkness. His eyes had already partly adjusted to the lack of light, but it still took a moment before he was able to tell the dumpsters apart from the concrete wall.

He wrinkled his nose. The dead-end alley had obviously been used as a garbage dump for a long time, trash piled high in every corner. Minseok had never realized how filthy the capital actually was underneath the superficial main streets.

A hand on Minseok’s arm stopped him from moving forward, and he could vaguely make out Jongdae gesturing to a pile of trash on their right. It took a couple of seconds before Minseok saw what Jongdae was trying to show him, but he eventually spotted a pair of bare feet sticking out from under a trash bag. For a brief moment, Minseok feared that the person might be dead but then the foot twitched.

Jongdae was the first of the two who dared to move closer and, after giving the foot a small push to see if the person was awake, he slowly peeled off the trash bags stacked on top of the body. Perhaps they had tried to hide themselves in the trash and then lost consciousness?

“Minseok,” Jongdae hissed quietly, beckoning him closer.

Minseok held back a gasp. A young man was lying unconscious in the pile of trash. He was bleeding from somewhere on his head, and now that Minseok got loser, he could see that one of the boy’s legs were twisted in an unnatural angle. Had he really run this far on a broken foot?

“Do you think he’s one of us?” Minseok asked. The young man didn’t seem to be wearing a Red Force uniform, but his clothes were torn and dusty, so it was hard to see with the lack of light.

“Must be,” Jongdae answered, kneeling to get a closer look. “I don’t think a soldier would be left like this. He’s at least civilian.” He reached out to grab the boy’s wrist to check for a pulse, when the body suddenly twitched and sat up with a gasp.

For a brief second Minseok was staring straight into a pair of glowing pale green eyes, and then he was thrown off his feet into the wall behind him. He landed on the ground with a dull thud and a pained groan, quickly staggering to his feet in case he needed to defend himself. 

But the boy had already slumped back down unconscious.

“Well,” Jongdae coughed, lying not far from Minseok. “Definitely one of us.”

There was no question about it. They had found a Gifted who had somehow managed to get away from the Red Force and hide himself in this alley of trash – all on a horribly broken leg.

“How are we going to get him back with us though?” Jongdae asked as he got up and dusted himself off. “Even if he was awake, he’s not walking anywhere on that leg.”

Eyeing the unconscious body on front of him, Minseok let out a sigh and rolled his shoulders. Even while lying down, it was obvious that the young man was quite a lot taller than Minseok, but he was also thin and gangly so in theory Minseok should be able to carry him at least some of the way.

As Jongdae helped Minseok heave the body up on his back, struggling to get the legs in a position where they wouldn’t drag across the ground but also so the broken leg wouldn’t get more damaged, Minseok took a second to wonder how in the hell his life had ended up like this. There were only few moments by now where Minseok actually missed his old life, but this was definitely one of them.

“Are you sure you can carry him?” Jongdae asked once the boy was somewhat secure on Minseok’s back. “Maybe we should try something else?”

“No, it’s fine,” Minseok huffed, hoisting up the dead weight in hopes of getting more comfortable. The boy was all skin and bones, his legs feeling disturbingly thin where Minseok was holding them up at his sides. He wasn’t particularly heavy, but his long limbs weren’t easy to fold up comfortably. “We need at least one of us with free hands in case we run into a patrol. Let’s just go and find the others.”

Though Minseok had no real grasp on how much time they had spent in the alleys, it had probably been a couple of hours by now. It wasn’t near dawn yet but getting the unconscious Gifted back would be a struggle.

Jongdae went first to make sure the way was clear while Minseok walked unsteadily behind him. His arms were already aching from holding the long legs up high enough for them not to drag across the ground, and Minseok began to doubt that he would be able to make it back if they didn’t meet any of the others on the way. He would need help soon.

They shuffled their way back through the darkness, Minseok counting on Jongdae knowing which way to go as he was so focused on not dropping the limp body that he had no idea where they were.

Footsteps suddenly echoed off the bare walls as a Red Force patrol passed somewhere close to them and both boys froze, trying to figure out if the sound was coming closer. Then, another sound reached them. The jarring sound of metal dragging across concrete.

Running with dead weight on your back was near impossible and Minseok quickly fell behind Jongdae. Minseok had always felt like he was in a decent enough shape, but he was already panting, a stitch in his side making it painful to move.

In front of him, Jongdae looked back to check on Minseok, when suddenly two bodies came barreling out from a side street, nearly knocking Jongdae to the ground. Minseok barely had the time to recognize the panicked faces of Baekhyun and Chanyeol before he was forcefully turned around and shoved back towards where they had come from, nearly dropping the boy on his back.

“It saw us!” Baekhyun panted, fighting for breath. He was already pulling Jongdae and Chanyeol up by their collars, pushing them to keep running. “We couldn’t stop it.”

A red beam of light swept across the alley right behind them, the spidery legs of the RF-05 casting eerie shadows across the walls.

All attempts at stealth was abandoned as the four Gifted tore down the alleyways, taking as many twists and turns as possible in hopes of throwing off the robot. Minseok didn’t dare to look back in fear of seeing the RF-05 right on their heels. He was just waiting to be bathed in red light, caught and unable to fight back.

His foot caught on something as he took a turn and Minseok felt the ground disappear from underneath him. He squeezed his eyes shut and held on tight to the body on his back, when he was pulled back by his arm, Chanyeol catching him before he could fall.

“Let me take him,” Chanyeol urged, already grabbing the unconscious boy from Minseok’s back and draping him across his own. Chanyeol was taller than Minseok and had almost no difficulty adjusting the lifeless boy into a somewhat comfortable position. 

Without the extra dead-weight, it was much easier to move. Baekhyun and Jongdae were in front, while Minseok hung back with Chanyeol in case he needed help, but he barely seemed bothered by the extra weight on his back.

Everyone came to a screeching halt as they were suddenly face to face with a towering concrete wall. Minseok blinked, breath catching in his throat when he opened his eyes and saw his shadow blown up on the blank concrete before him by a blazing red light.

Complete silence engulfed them the sound of screaming metal no longer overwhelming. All Minseok could hear was his heartbeat thundering in his ears.

“Stand back!” Jongdae yelled, shoving Minseok behind him.

Minseok barely had the time to register the metallic taste of the air, the hairs on his body standing on end, before he was blinded, his ears ringing from the deafening crack of the lightning strike.

The RF-05 froze in its tracks, its spidery legs twitching as electricity sizzled around it. For a brief second Minseok wondered if it had really been that easy, but then the robot whirred back to life. A long metallic arm emerged from the middle of its body, a three-fingered claw at the end opening and closing with the sound of nails on a chalkboard.

The arm shot straight at Jongdae but Minseok was faster. He threw himself forward, pushing Jongdae out of the way. The metal was oddly warm as the claw closed itself around Minseok’s legs, pulling him up into the air. Blood rushed to his head as he was hung upside down, his vision blurring. Someone screamed his name.

Minseok had a hard time breathing as he struggled to pull himself upright again. He was being swung around like a puppet, squeezing his eyes shut every time he came dangerously close to the concrete walls.

Finally, he managed to hoist himself up enough to grab onto the arm. His breathing came out in white puffs as ice started growing up the metal.

“Someone get me down!” Minseok shouted.

The arm’s movements became less erratic as it was slowly fully encased in a thick coat of ice and Minseok could finally somewhat breathe again. His head was throbbing, and it was a miracle that his lunch hadn’t made a reappearance. The dizziness was overwhelming.

“Brace yourself!” It sounded like Jongdae. “And try to hold still!” 

A second after Minseok had drawn his arms up to shield his face, he felt the tell-tale electricity sizzling in the air followed by another ear-shattering lightning strike. His body twitched involuntarily, and he hissed in pain as the current passed through him. The faint sound of something snapping was the only warning Minseok had before he was suddenly free-falling, hitting the ground with a groan.

He quickly wiggled out of the claw, prying back the three fingers one by one. A wave of heat hit him just as he was about to get up and he pressed himself back against the ground.

Chanyeol was struggling to hold up the unconscious boy with one arm while pushing back the robot with a wave of fire. Minseok rolled to the side and staggered to his feet, his body still feeling tingly after the light shock from Jongdae’s lightning.

“How do we get around it?” Baekhyun yelled over the roaring of Chanyeol’s fire. The RF-05 had made it out into the crossing alley as it had tried to carry away Minseok, but they were all still cornered. Any moment now, backup would show up.

The RF-05 was already glowing a faint red from the heat but as Minseok looked closer, it seemed as if the light was softly pulsating. Like it was moving towards the center.

Minseok pulled back Chanyeol, breaking off the stream of fire. He closed his eyes and pulled out every bit of energy left he had, channeling it outwards. A shield of ice grew out in front of him just in time to catch the beam of red light fired from the RF-05. The shield creaked and cracked but Minseok stood his ground.

“What the hell,” Chanyeol panted, slouching forward to keep the body from slipping off his back. “It’s not affected at all.”

“Minseok!” At first, Minseok thought it had been one of the boys behind him, but suddenly he spotted Junmyeon peeking around the corner just behind the RF-05. He made a series of hand gestures that Minseok had absolutely no idea what meant, until Junmyeon frantically started pointing down at the ground.

The robot was standing directly on top of a manhole cover.

“Get down!” Minseok yelled to everyone behind him and vaguely heard them all quickly drop to the ground. In the same second as Minseok dropped the shield, the ice shattering as easily as if it had been glass, Junmyeon raised the water from below, completely drenching the RF-05. The robot staggered, fighting to keep balanced as the pressure from the sewage water threatened to tip it over. While the water was still getting pushed up from the sewers like a geyser, Minseok reached out towards it and saw rather than felt how the cold air in front of him was pushed forward, freezing the water. In an almost cartoon-like style, the water stood frozen in front of them, tall and branched as a tree, the RF-05 caught and unable to move.

“Oh my god,” Baekhyun mumbled behind him, teeth chattering as he spoke. He rubbed up and down his arms to try and get some warmth back into them.

Minseok didn’t feel the cold but he could see how everyone’s breaths were coming out in white puffs, and Chanyeol was shivering almost violently, nearly dropping the body if it hadn’t been for Jongdae.

“What are you all waiting for? Let’s go!” Junmyeon yelled.

Only then did Minseok notice the sirens blaring through the night. He quickly gestured to Jongdae to help him transfer the unconscious gifted back to him, as Chanyeol looked like he was about to keel over any second. 

And with all six of them now together again, they took off into the night.


	18. Sehun - Log 13: Tempest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go check out my [tumblr](https://guardians-of-exo.tumblr.com/) as well, I make lots of fun EXO stuff!xx  
> ~ M

Sehun blinked, groggily rubbing his eyes. The room was pitch black, and Jongin was still sleeping soundly on the bed beside him. Outside the streets were quiet as usual, the only sounds those of the house creaking. Nothing seemed wrong and yet Sehun felt uneasy.

Just as he was about to close his eyes, a shadow passed by their window and Sehun’s heart stopped.

They were on the second floor.

He grabbed onto Jongin tightly and rolled onto the floor in under the bed, dragging Jongin with him. The other boy gasped and started flailing about until Sehun covered his mouth, shushing him. For a moment there was only silence, and Sehun wondered of maybe he had imagined it.

The window shattered, shards of glass raining down on the room. Something hit the floor and rolled into the room, filling the silence with a violent hissing. Smoke was spewing out from both ends, the gas reeking of chemicals. Within seconds Sehun’s skin started burning, and his eyes watered from the pain of it.

Coughing, Sehun waved his hand, trying to blow the smoke away, but he couldn’t focus on anything but how the gas was setting his lungs on fire with every inhale. Beside him, Jongin had started retching. Feeling panic crawl up inside of him, Sehun did the only thing he could think of. He took a deep breath, nearly choking on the overwhelming need to cough out the gas, and when he breathed out, it came with the force of a small explosion. The bed flew off them, slamming into the wall, and the smoke cleared out, leaving both boys gasping for breath.

Jongin threw up as Sehun pulled him up. “Come one!” Sehun gasped, trying to pull Jongin with him. Out of the corner of his eye, Sehun saw something move past the light coming in from the broken window again.

“Jongin, come on!” he hissed, now forcefully dragging a still retching Jongin behind him. Sehun’s lungs felt like they were on fire, and his head was spinning like he was going to pass out, but he forced himself to keep going.

Once they made it out into the hallway, they could suddenly hear the screaming coming from every other apartment in the building. Glass shattering, furniture breaking; the overwhelming noise hit Sehun all at once and he stumbled. Every now and then a red light would fill the room, spilling out from one of the many open doors. Other Gifted were staggering around in the hallway, disoriented and terrified.

Someone screamed loudly and black smoke came rolling out from one of the open doors, the glow of orange flames casting eerie shadows on the hallway wall. The building shook violently, a hollow explosion resonating through the walls. 

“Sehun,” Jongin whimpered, squeezing Sehun’s hand painfully, breaking Sehun out of his frozen state. 

Thundering footsteps was the only warning they got before a delegation of Red Force soldiers emerged from the smoke, guns raised. They wasted no time before they opened fire. People in the hallway screamed and tried to scatter but there was no way to run but straight towards where Sehun and Jongin were standing. One by one they fell to the ground, spasming on the floor with their eyes rolling back into their heads.

The Red Force hadn’t come to kill, they came to collect.

Finally gaining control of his body again, Sehun turned on his heel and started sprinting down the hallway, Jongin stumbling behind him. “Jongin, teleport!”

Again, the whole building shook like they had been hit by a bomb, the noise making Sehun’s ears ring. If it hadn’t been for Jongin catching him, Sehun would have fallen on his face.

“You know I can’t!” Jongin cried, letting out a scream as the walls around them shook for a third time, dust raining down from the ceiling like snow.

“You have to!” Sehun demanded. They were heading to a dead end with nowhere left to run. If Jongin didn’t teleport them away, they were done for.

Behind him, Jongin stumbled and fell, Sehun nearly getting dragged down with him. He was on the floor twitching, gasping for breath.

“Jongin!” Sehun screamed but the whole building shook once again, creaking dangerously and a deafening crack was the last thing Sehun heard before the ground disappeared from underneath his feet.

⌖

Sehun’s eyes flew open, his mouth opening to scream but no sound came out. His heart was racing in his chest and his body was covered in cold sweat.

It was dark around him, but a faint light shone somewhere close to him. He wasn’t alone in the room; several voices were having a hushed conversation, though every once in a while, a voice would rise above the others.

Terrified that whoever it was would realize that he was awake, Sehun kept completely still and tried to calm his breathing. He looked around, hoping to find a way to escape. 

The tiled walls around him were bare with no windows or doors. A large piece of fabric was hung between a pillar and one of the walls, cutting off the corner where Sehun was lying from the rest of the room.

There wasn’t a lot that gave any hints as to where Sehun was, if any at all. Slowly, he dared to turn his head, hoping to find Jongin lying beside him. But there was no one.

Everything hurt. He squeezed his eyes shut. He needed to get away. He needed to find Jongin. Who was holding him? How many were there? And could he take them alone?

One by one, Sehun carefully tried to move every part of his body, checking for injuries. His right leg felt a little stiff, and something in the back of his mind told him that moving it should have hurt, but why, he couldn’t remember. His body felt cold though he was covered in blankets, but otherwise nothing hurt. He could fight if he needed to.

He tried to focus on the voices, hoping he could figure out how many there were. Most of their conversation was too quiet for Sehun to understand what they were saying, but he did catch one of the louder voices every once in a while. Something about how ‘the walking piece of scrap metal hadn’t been bothered by his light like they used to’, whatever that was supposed to mean.

After listening for a while, Sehun was almost sure that they had to be talking about the RF-05 robots. Something about the robots… learning? He wasn’t quite sure about that part. It almost sounded like they had been fighting the Red Force, which meant that they could be on his side. But he wasn’t going to take any chances.

There had to be at least four people behind the curtain, perhaps more, it was hard to tell. Their voices all sounded the same. But all Sehun needed was to catch them off guard, giving himself enough time to find an exit.

Careful not to make any noise, Sehun slowly got up, untangling himself from the blankets. A glass of water and a half-empty packet of crackers were placed neatly beside his bed, making him pause. He felt weird about this place, it almost seemed too… peaceful. Could it be a trap to make him lower his defenses?

He took a deep breath and held up his hands, palms outwards. His powers rarely came to him at will and usually only manifested on instinct when startled or in danger. He needed them now though, so he hoped the little practice he had tried to do would pay off. Another deep breath and he tried to focus on the feeling of pure energy that would surge through him whenever his powers were set loose.

The curtain was blown off the string and flew across the room, things getting knocked over and sent scraping across the floor. Sehun found himself face to face with a group of young men, all staring at him shocked.

Not wanting to give them any time to stop him, Sehun darted towards what he hoped would be the exit, but before he could reach it, his feet suddenly disappeared from underneath him and he fell, landing hard on the floor. The tile felt unusually cold and smooth – was that ice?

In a panic, Sehun flung out his arm, sending a strong gust of wind at whoever was behind him as he scrambled to get up. His feet kept slipping on the ice, but he got up and stumbled into the darkness of the tunnel he hoped would lead him out. Instead, he came face to face with a wall of raging fire.

He spun around, now trapped on all sides. Panic was clawing at his chest as the six figures moved in on him. “D-don’t come any closer!” His voice was shaking too much to sound threatening.

“It’s okay,” the one closest to Sehun said, holding up his hands in surrender. He was almost as tall as Sehun and though he looked exhausted, his eyes were kind. “We won’t hurt you. You’re safe here.”

A tall, looming figure, who had stood some way back, raised his head just as the fire behind Sehun died down, and Sehun gasped at the glowing orange eyes staring back at him. One by one, each of the boys greeted Sehun with glowing eyes, revealing themselves as Gifted. The ice and fire suddenly made sense.

“W-what?” Sehun mumbled, confused thoughts swirling around in his head.

“Why don’t you come in and sit down, I promise we’ll explain everything,” the one with the kind eyes said, gesturing back to where Sehun had tried to escape from.

“What about Jongin?” Sehun asked, suddenly hopeful. If this was another Gifted safehouse, perhaps they had taken Jongin as well. Or maybe they knew where he had been taken. “Is he here? Have you seen him? He was with me before…” he trailed off. Jongin had been with him before everything went black.

They all shared a look that had Sehun’s hopes crashing to the ground.

“Come in and have a seat,” another one said. His eyes had been glowing a bright blue just moments ago. “I think we all have a lot of questions, so perhaps we can help each other.”

Feeling numb, Sehun let them lead him back to their hideout. The vowed to himself that the second he had the information he needed, he was going to find Jongin. He was out there somewhere, Sehun was sure of it, and he was going to do whatever it took to get him back.


	19. Timestamp 5 - Jongdae; The Lonely Road

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go check out my [tumblr](https://guardians-of-exo.tumblr.com/) as well, I make lots of fun EXO stuff!xx  
> ~ M

Jongdae quickly minimized the news article he had open on his computer and pulled up the spreadsheet he was supposed to be working on, smiling innocently as one of his coworkers walked by. Security had been lessened some since Minseok getting discovered, but it still wasn’t a good idea to be caught looking up news on Gifted. He was pretty sure that the computer’s activity was tracked, but Jongdae never opened an article unless he was sure it had useful information. He also made sure to open other articles as well that had nothing to do with Gifted. Looking up news was not a crime so as long as he didn’t leave a pattern behind, he should be fine.

Gossip spread like wildfire, and since Jongdae had been sort of friendly with Minseok, he had been under close watch. He would catch coworkers staring at him, and the coworker walking past had been by his desk at least twice already.

It would probably be safer for Jongdae to wait until he got home to check the news, but Sehun was becoming impatient and it was hard to keep him in the subway station.

The apartment building that was raided had apparently been used as a safehouse for Gifted. Sehun hadn’t revealed much about himself or his past, but he had told them how he had lived there for only about a week before it was raided. He and his friend Jongin had travelled to the Capital for the same reasons as Junmyeon – the hope of a little freedom and protection.

But someone had tipped off the Government, and the safehouse had been torn apart.

It had been difficult to convince Sehun that it would be safest for him to stay in the subway station until he had more information on where his friend had been taken. Had it been up to him, he would have gone straight for the Red Force headquarters to knock down their door.

Since Jongdae was the only one left who had proper access to the news, he had taken it upon himself to do everything he could to help. Since Minseok was discovered, Jongdae had stopped going to the subway as often as he usually would have. He didn’t want to risk getting followed, putting everyone in danger.

Before, he would buy and bring groceries straight to them, but now they had coordinated different drop spots throughout the city. Even with his rations, Jongdae was able to gather enough food to share with them. Stealing enough food for now six people had become increasingly harder for them, so Jongdae did anything he could to help. If it meant he went a little hungry some nights, no one had to know.

This also meant that Jongdae rarely got to see any of his friends, and some evenings, coming home exhausted from work, Jongdae found himself feeling incredibly lonely. He had just gotten used to being around everyone but now he was back to staring blankly at his own four walls.

Sometimes, for a fleeting moment, Jongdae would toy with the idea of going on the run to join them, but he would crush that thought before it had even finished. Leaving the safety of his citizenship behind would be incredibly selfish. His friends never had the privilege of choosing what life they wanted, so Jongdae just throwing it away? He couldn’t do that.

Sehun had begged to come stay at Jongdae’s apartment multiple times so he could watch the news for any information about his friend, but the risk of him getting discovered was too big.

Jongdae was worried that if he didn’t find anything that could lead them to Jongin soon, Sehun was going to make matter into his own hands and leave the subway no matter what they said. And Jongdae understood, he would have been just as restless and anxious had it been any of his friends. His family.

It had almost been two weeks though, and the news had been dead silent with anything regarding the Gifted. Reports of the destroyed safehouse became old news quickly, and since then nothing had been heard. Jongdae didn’t want to admit it in front of Sehun, but he worried that it was already too late. Jongin had probably already been sent off to one of the Government’s test sites.

But Jongdae kept trying. Sehun was one of them now, so Jongdae would do anything to help him.

Another coworker walked by and Jongdae sighed, completely closing down one of the tabs he was on. He did have paperwork to do and apparently his coworkers thought he was especially suspicious that day, as he barely had any time without someone watching him. It was overbearingly annoying.

Deciding it would be the last attempt of the day, Jongdae updated the news site.

He stood up abruptly, his chair toppling over behind him with a loud crash. Everyone looked up startled, and Jongdae quickly picked up the chair, sitting back down. “Sorry,” he apologized loudly, giving an awkward laugh. “The wheel’s a bit wonky.”

His heart was hammering in his chest and though he had a spreadsheet open, he wasn’t seeing any of the numbers in front of him. There was still a couple of hours left before he could leave, but he was itching to get out of the office and back to the subway.

This could be where Jongin was.


	20. Sehun - Log 14: Into The Eye of The Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go check out my [tumblr](https://guardians-of-exo.tumblr.com/) as well, I make lots of fun EXO stuff!xx  
> ~ M

Sehun watched in a daze as everyone scrambled around to get ready. He wasn’t sure what to feel or what he _was_ feeling. Nervous? Excited? Scared. Definitely scared. There was a chance that he could be going to rescue Jongin. There was an even bigger chance that Jongin wasn’t going to be there.

Jongdae had been going through the news every day and had finally come across a mention of a mutant transport. It was a short mention of how the mutants responsible for the destroyed building would be taken into custody at the Government Test Center. The fact that it was actually the Red Force who had left the safehouse in ruins was glossed over.

The Government Test Center was a place everyone apparently knew the location of, most people also had an idea of what horrible things went on there, but no one talked about it. No one ever did anything. They pretended not to know for their own safety.

And though Sehun was ready to storm the place and bring down the walls, trying to do anything alone would be suicide. There were too many Red Force soldiers, too many RF-05s, and not enough Gifted. Stopping the transport before it got there was their only chance, and if Jongin wasn’t on it… Sehun didn’t want to think about that.

Sehun wanted to help prepare, but he didn’t know what to do with himself. He was aware that they were discussing all probable ways of getting back safe, but it was hard for him to focus. The words turned into a jumbled mess in his head, it was like they were speaking another language. And soon any words were drowned out by his own frantic heartbeat.

Seconds ticked by like they were hours passing and Sehun suddenly felt like throwing up. What if they couldn’t do it? Sehun was nowhere near ready to face anyone with his unstable powers. And what if Jongin wasn’t actually there? He was the closest thing Sehun had to a family left in this world, he couldn’t lose him too. What if –

“Sehun, snap out of it!” Baekhyun barked, throwing a pair of shoes and a jacket at him. “Pull yourself together and put this on. We don’t have much time if you want to save your friend. You can freak out on the way there.”

Taking a deep breath, Sehun swallowed his fear and got ready. The others were already halfway up the ladder by the time he had made it to the tunnel.

The trip through the city’s alleys felt almost like a dream, Sehun struggling to keep up with the others, and Junmyeon had to be constantly looking back to make sure Sehun was still with them.

Once they reached the outskirts of the city, they stopped. Most of the ruins had been cleared out alongside the wide, barren road leading into the city. A huge arch structure stood as an entrance to the Capital, its shining white marble a stark contrast to the dusty brown dirt of the ground and the grey buildings towering up behind it. _Arcadia_ was written on it in bold, golden letters. Sehun had never heard the Capital mentioned by name before.

Sehun’s body was restless as he sat, waiting for something to happen. The chill of the wind went straight through his thin jacket, and the boys had to all huddle together for warmth. They had hidden behind the nearest pile of ruins they could find; a crumbled wall that was a bit too far from the road for Sehun’s liking.

Time passed incredibly slow, and it was only setting sun that showed any time passed at all. Despite it being the main road to the Capital, very little traffic went in or out, and any time a vehicle came close, Sehun’s heart jumped up into his throat.

The shadows grew longer and the wind colder. A projector switched on with an echoing snap, lighting up the white marble against the dark night sky.

Sehun’s hopes of finding Jongin faded with the sun. They had probably missed the transport. He had noticed how the others were sharing concerned looks; they didn’t believe in it either.

A low rumble from the distance had Sehun’s ears perking up though he scolded himself for feeling hopeful. From the city emerged a large, armored truck. The pristine white paint of the truck was matted with dust, and the faded remains of a circle with what Sehun believed to be a flower inside could just be seen printed on the side.

“It’s a government truck!” Jongdae whispered.

At once they were all on their feet, Sehun feeling like he couldn’t breathe. What were their plans again? He couldn’t remember anything they had said. Why hadn’t he listened?!

He followed behind the others, just hoping he wouldn’t get in the way.

Jongdae was the first to move, striking the truck with a crackling bolt of lightning. Electricity sizzled around the vehicle, every light blinking erratically. The car alarm was haunting in the otherwise silent night.

“Let’s go!” Baekhyun yelled.

Four Red Force soldiers had already exited the truck, all fully armed. With smoke now billowing out from the truck’s engine, engulfing the soldiers in a grey haze, Sehun had a sudden flash of the night of the raid. The thundering footsteps of the soldiers. The gunshots. The screaming.

He froze in his tracks, falling behind. Blinking furiously, he tried to get rid of the images of the burning corridor that was flashing in front of his eyes. Someone was still screaming but he couldn’t tell if it was in his head or not. It sounded like Jongin.

Jongin! He had to save him! But how? His powers failed him. They would fail him again. He wasn’t ready to face the Red Force again. And this time, the Red Force would get him as well. The people who were trying to help him. He failed them.

Suddenly dizzy, Sehun stumbled and fell to his knees. It felt like someone was sitting on his chest. He couldn’t breathe. Useless. _Useless!_

“Sehun!” A hand touched his shoulder and he flinched back. A blurry Yixing kneeled down in front of him, and Sehun realized he was crying, blurring his vision.

“Sehun we have to get away from here, or we’ll be in the way,” Yixing urged firmly but gently. “They can’t focus on us too.” It was clear he wanted to help but knew he couldn’t. He reached out for Sehun again, and this time Sehun let him.

Yixing dragged him up, and Sehun looking towards the truck as he got to his feet. His knees nearly gave out again.

Baekhyun and Minseok were caught behind a thin wall of ice, two Red Force soldiers advancing slowly as they showered the fragile ice with bullets; Junmyeon and Chanyeol were struggling to keep the last two solders away while Jongdae fought to open the doors to the back of the truck; a fire was slowly spreading from the hood of the truck and up the driver’s seat. They were stuck trying to defend themselves, unable to make a move in risk of being shot.

With a firm grip on Sehun’s arm, Yixing tugged, trying to get Sehun to move with him to find cover. Not expecting the pull, Sehun stumbled, losing his balance. He let Yixing drag him away, feeling like he was going to throw up as he turned his back to it all. To the people who were risking everything for him.

They had taken him in and cared for him. They were risking their lives for him – someone they barely knew. And he couldn’t even help them because he was too scared to fail again. _Useless._

“Jongdae, watch out!”

Sehun spun around at the yell, Yixing’s hand falling from his arm. A Red Force soldier had knocked Chanyeol to his knees, leaving an opening at Jongdae who was still struggling with the latches on the door. Junmyeon stepped to the side in an attempt to cover him, but he stumbled.

The bullet hit him straight in the chest.

The gunshot echoed in Sehun’s ears as he watched Junmyeon crumble to the ground. _No._

“ _NO!_ ” Sehun wasn’t sure who screamed, it seemed to come from them all.

Fear. Powerlessness. Rage. Every feeling that washed over him, Sehun let go with a loud cry. With a roar, the wind rose to life in front of him, kicking up dust into the swirling vortex.

A raging inferno had formed around Chanyeol to shield him and the lifeless Junmyeon, the Fire Gifted screaming in despair. Thunder rumbled above them, lightning crackling in the gathering clouds. Then came the hail. The soft, rhythmic sound of the hails hitting the ground grew in intensity until the sound was overwhelming.

Sehun couldn’t see anything but a wall of white in front of him, but he didn’t need to. He had let go of any control, blinding rage burning underneath his skin.

The Red Force soldiers stood no chance.

Yixing fell to the ground beside Junmyeon, desperately running his hands across his chest to find the wound. Baekhyun and Chanyeol weren’t far behind, both sobbing as they clutched onto Junmyeon’s arms. Minseok went to help up Jongdae, and together they once again tried to get the latch open. Above them, the storm was still raging.

Sehun felt like an outsider as he watched them. This was all his fault. If Jongin wasn’t in that truck, he had caused them pain for no reason.

Slowly, he made his way towards the others, afraid that if he got too close, they would shoo him away. He wanted to help in any way he could, but he had no idea how. Junmyeon’s shirt was drenched in red, as were Yixing’s hands now, and Sehun felt bile rise up his throat. That was his fault.

The latch opened with a snap, the crooked doors swinging open, slamming against the sides of the truck. Minseok and Jongdae were ready, hands raised in case they needed to defend themselves.

“W-wait!” a panicked voice came from inside the truck, and Sehun nearly fell over his feet in his hurry to get over there. That voice…

“D-don’t hurt me, please I’m no – _Sehun!”_ Jongin cried out. The two boys scrambled across the floor of the truck, falling over each other as they met in the middle. Sehun sobbed into Jongin’s hair, holding onto the other boy tightly. He had been so scared that Jongin wasn’t in that truck. 

“Sehun, we need to go,” Minseok reminded him, firm but not unkind. “The Red Force will know about this soon.”

Though it was difficult, Sehun moved back and finally got a good look at Jongin. His face was pale and bruised, dark purple marks around his left eye and all the way down to his jaw, his dark hair was matted down with what was probably blood, and around his neck hung a Government shock collar. He looked horrible. But he was alive.

Sehun helped him stand up, Jongin staggering unsteadily to his feet. Beside them, Minseok was kneeling next to someone, and it was only then that Sehun noticed Jongin hadn’t been alone in the truck. A young girl lay lifeless on the steel floor, bleeding from a wound in her head.

“She’s gone,” Minseok said, voice breaking slightly as he removed his hand from where he was looking for a pulse on her neck.

Jongin sniffled, hanging his head. “S-she hit her head when the truck stopped. When she fell the collar was hit and it shocked her.” He squeezed Sehun’s hand tightly. “She was nice.”

“We need to get that off,” Jongdae spoke up, reaching out to gently get a better look at the shock collar around Jongin’s neck. He hummed to himself for a second, eyes flicking up to meet Jongin’s briefly. “I think I can remove it, but I can’t promise it won’t hurt. A small shock should do it, I hope.”

Eyes wide and scared, Jongin looked to Sehun and, though he was nervous as well, Sehun nodded. He trusted that Jongdae wouldn’t do anything to purposely harm Jongin, and that shock collar needed to go.

Jongdae took a deep breath, closing his eyes to concentrate. There was a crackle where his fingers touched the collar and Jongin flinched, squeezing Sehun’s hand tightly. The collar beeped and flashed red, but then fell to the floor with a hollow clang. Both Jongin and Sehun let out the breath they had been holding.

“We need to go,” Minseok reminded them again, looking behind him anxiously. 

Outside Sehun was relieved to see that Chanyeol and Yixing were helping a dazed Junmyeon to his feet. His face was ashen, and his knees buckled the second he was upright, Chanyeol catching him before he could fall.

“He’s lost too much blood,” Yixing said, voice shaking. His blood-covered hands were trembling as he reached out to help steady Junmyeon. “We need to get back home.”

Chanyeol carefully hoisted the smaller man into his back and they all set off home without looking back. Sehun gently dragged a sluggish Jongin behind him, doing his best to keep up with them all. He didn’t blame the others for not thinking about anything but getting Junmyeon home, they had helped him all they could and now Jongin was his responsibility.

Sirens blared in the distance, but Sehun didn’t dare look back. The shadows of Arcadia swallowed the Gifted before the Red Force even reached the site of the burning truck.


	21. Timestamp 6 - Minseok; The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go check out my [tumblr](https://guardians-of-exo.tumblr.com/) as well, I make lots of fun EXO stuff!xx  
> ~ M

The sound of a faucet dripping in the bathroom was the only thing breaking the silence in the subway station. No one had spoken a word since they got back. Despite them being home safe, the atmosphere was charged with unease. With fear.

Minseok glanced over at where Junmyeon was sleeping, Yixing by his side with a hand on the sleeping boy’s wrist to check for a pulse. He hadn’t moved even a little since they got back. The image of Junmyeon dropping to the ground kept flashing before Minseok’s eyes, and every time he had to look to make sure that Junmyeon was still there, alive.

Sehun was in the sleeping quarters with his friend Jongin. After being rescued, the young Gifted had been close to dead on his feet and had fallen asleep the second he had laid down. There was no telling what he had gone through at the hands of the Red Force. Sehun had followed him shortly after, exhausted from his constant worrying.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol were sitting by a small fire staring into the flames, open cans of soup sitting uneaten on the floor beside them. They probably had no appetite – Minseok certainly didn’t.

Jongdae had gone back to his apartment, though Minseok had tried to convince him that he should stay with them for the night. None of them should be alone after what they had been through. But Jongdae had insisted he needed to get back in case something would show on the news. He was afraid that the Red Force would figure out where they were hiding.

The white noise in Minseok’s head was keeping him from sleeping, though his body felt dead on its feet. The attack kept replaying in his mind, over and over again.

None of them had been ready for it. They had faced the Red Force before, but never like that. Before, all they wanted was to escape but actually facing the soldiers like that… it was vastly different. Different in a way Minseok hadn’t anticipated.

He had never feared facing them before – had gladly gone to the destroyed safehouse where they found Sehun, hoping to get his revenge of the Red Force. But fighting against a robot was nothing like facing the foot soldiers. All the plans they had made, all the possible outcomes they had tried to foresee, went right out the window the second they ambushed that truck and came face to face with the soldiers.

Minseok had been holding back, they all had, only he was just realizing that now. Using his powers against another human was scary. He had only ever had to defend himself, the fear taking control of his powers more than his mind. But he had never been the one to attack first. He wasn’t sure if he could ever get used to that feeling. His want for revenge suddenly felt… wrong. Minseok didn’t think he could be that person. Wasn’t sure he even wanted to be anymore.

Seeing Junmyeon crumble to the ground like that had been a wake-up call for them all. They had been riding a high of freedom and narrow escapes for a while – but this was a war. A single mistake could cost them their lives. And they did lose a life. The poor girl hadn’t deserved to die like that. Minseok would carry that guilt with him for the rest of his life.

None of them had chosen this life, but now they were in it, at least they had each other. They weren’t soldiers or trained in combat, they were simply scared boys who were in way over their heads.

If they had to face the Red Force again, could they do what was necessary without having to see a friend fall first? They only had a basic level of control over their powers – would that be enough? And there was only eight of them against an army. The RF-05 robots had already shown that they were capable of learning, remembering, and adapting to the powers used against them.

Minseok doubted they would be able to stay hidden for long with their growing numbers. Seven mouths to feed was a lot, and they were already pushing it with how often they had to surface to steal food. Even the little food Jongdae could spare barely helped anymore. Space was getting cramped in the subway station, and it was hard to be comfortable with them all squeezed together.

Things had seemed good for a while. Safe even. But it was coming to an end, Minseok feared. They would either have to move and find another home, or they would have to split up.

The usual carefree laughter of the subway had been replaced by a sombre silence.

They all tried to hide it, but it was written on their faces. Minseok could see it because he felt it too.

Fear. 


	22. Jongin - Log 15: Eight's a crowd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go check out my [tumblr](https://guardians-of-exo.tumblr.com/) as well, I make lots of fun EXO stuff!xx  
> ~ M

Jongin swallowed nervously, intimidated by the six faces looking at him with various degrees of mistrust. Sehun was by his side, also fidgeting uncomfortably under the stares.

It wasn’t like the Gifted in front of them hadn’t been kind to Jongin; they had gone above and beyond to make sure that he was as comfortable as possible. They had healed him the best they could and given him whatever he needed without questions. Until now at least, though Jongin appreciated them waiting until he felt better.

They were, of course, cautious of him. They never spoke on important matters when Jongin was around, and he had often interrupted them in the middle of heated whispered discussions that would end the second they saw him. And despite having known them for longer, it was the same for Sehun.

Jongin understood, he really did. He had overheard them talking about what happened to one of them. Junmyeon had nearly lost his life trying to save Jongin. He had been healed up by Yixing to the best of his ability but was still very weak from the blood loss. It took a while before he was even able to get out of bed on his own. 

And a couple of days after Jongin had been brought to their hideout, a new face had appeared, though Jongin vaguely recognized him from the night of his rescue. Jongdae had shown up, looking nearly dead on his feet. This time Jongin heard everything as they didn’t think about keeping their voices down. Jongdae had been out shopping only to come back and find his apartment building completely surrounded by Red Force soldiers. Though there had been no previous red flags, Jongdae was sure they were there for him. He suspected that one of his coworkers had ratted him out. So, he had left his entire life behind and fled to the hideout.

These Gifted had sacrificed so much to save Jongin, a complete stranger. And they had only done it because Sehun, another stranger, had needed the help. Jongin owed them his life, and he understood why they were worried about bringing him into their safe space.

Now that they had given him days to recover, they finally wanted some answers. Jongin wanted to help the best he could.

“Why were there only two of you in the transport?” Baekhyun asked and it was obvious he had been thinking about it for a while, the words nearly falling over each other. His arms were crossed in front of him, his face drawn in an unfriendly frown. An unusual look on the otherwise always smiling boy. “Where are the other Gifted from the safe house? Sehun told us there were others.”

Jongin nodded, he could see why that would look weird. “They took a lot of us,” he started, voice breaking. He still remembered the pain as he lay on the ground, body spasming uncontrollably.

They were put somewhere in complete darkness, and Jongin thought he was going to die there. Then, suddenly, it was blinding white everywhere. The walls, the furniture, even the clothes they forced his limp body into. The smell of disinfectant burned his nose and made his eyes water. He remembered being strapped to a bed, something sharp poking him in the arm. After that, everything was a haze. There were nurses taking care of them. Their faces were red. Everything had been so white around them, but the nurses were red. Jongin hated that color.

One by one the Gifted around him disappeared. Some came back beaten black and blue, but they never came back twice. Some never came back at all. Eventually, Jongin and a young girl were the only ones left. Until now, Jongin hadn’t even realized how much time had passed. While he was in there, it could have been days, it could have been months, he had no sense of it at all. According to Sehun, it had apparently been about two weeks.

Jongin paused, his mouth dry from speaking. Everyone was completely focused on him, no one saying anything as he collected his thoughts. A lump was growing in his throat, making it hard to speak and his vision was getting a little blurry from tears.

“They wanted information,” he continued after a couple of seconds. “They thought we would know about other safehouses.” No matter how many times Jongin had told them that he didn’t know anything, no matter how much he begged for his life, they hadn’t stopped. The pain was unbearable even through the constant haze of drugs they had kept him on. His body ached at the mere thought and he squeezed his eyes shut. “I didn’t know anything,” he whispered, fighting back the tears. “I really didn’t. But they didn’t care.”

The girl who was with him… he had never learned her name, but they had been a comfort for each other. Just knowing that they weren’t alone. And then she was gone. Just like that. So close to her freedom. She had gone through hell for nothing. But at least she didn’t end up at the test facility. She wouldn’t have lasted long there. Jongin wouldn’t either.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to say anything else,” Yixing said kindly, reaching out to take Jongin’s hand. His hands were warm and comforting. “Why don’t you go get some rest? We’ll come get you when dinner’s ready.”

Sehun helped Jongin up and over to what had become Jongin’s own bed. Though Jongin’s mind was swirling with horrible memories, his body was exhausted enough that he fell asleep the second his head hit the pillow.

⌖

Jongin watched as Yixing, Junmyeon, and Baekhyun once again sat huddled around the map, discussing in low voices. They had done that almost every day for weeks now and still they hadn’t let any of the others know what they were planning. They didn’t want to tell before they were sure, they had said when Minseok had asked. All they said, was that they were looking for a better home for them all.

Occasionally they would ask out loud about a specific city and sometimes Jongdae or Minseok would know something about it, but most times no one knew anything.

At first, they had tried looking around the Capital for options, hoping to find a new place they could move to. Jongin had spent many nights listening to the others come and go, whispering in tired voices what they had discovered before the next person took over. But staying in the Capital was too risky. So Baekhyun had stolen a map, hoping to find the answers they were looking for there.

Since Yixing, Junmyeon, and Baekhyun had been in the subway together the longest, they had naturally assumed the roles of leaders over time. It was never spoken out loud, but everyone just knew. Jongin had great respect for them and not just because he owed them his life, and it seemed everyone else felt the same. They all trusted that they would choose something that would benefit them all. Splitting up wasn’t an option, they had assured everyone of that.

And Jongin had been worried that he would ultimately be left behind. He was the newest arrival and had nothing to bring to the group. Sehun hadn’t said it, but he had been worried as well. About Jongin and about himself. 

Jongin’s powers barely worked, and never when he actually tried, so he had gone undetected as a Gifted for most of his life. His family life at home had been okay, he had never needed anything else. His father disappeared when Jongin was young, leaving his mother behind to do all the work. She did her best to take care of him and that meant she was at work more often than at home. Jongin tried practicing whenever she was a work, teleporting from room to room, and he had actually managed to get decent control.

But then his mother had come home early and caught him. The look on her face still haunted Jongin. He ran. Several nights were spent on the streets thinking he was going to die until the day he met Sehun. He had since become the brother Jongin had never had.

The feeling of belonging and acceptance that he had found, waking up in the subway, was all he had ever wanted. They were kind and treated Jongin as one of their own. They never pressured him to train his powers, never expected more than he was willing to give. He hadn’t been there that long, but the thought of maybe having to leave brought him to tears. But he trusted their word and that they wouldn’t leave him behind.

Chanyeol came shuffling over, a deck of playing cards in hand, bringing Jongin out of his thoughts. With Sehun in tow, he dragged Jongin into playing with him. Neither Jongin nor Sehun knew the game, but Chanyeol was only eager to teach. It was a nice way to pass the time. Jongin couldn’t remember ever feeling this happy and relaxed.

Another day passed before suddenly the wait was over. Baekhyun was the first to straighten up, letting out a long, tired sigh as his back cracked loudly. Junmyeon was next, scribbling down some last notes before looking up.

Yixing was the first to speak. “Would you all come and have a look? We want your opinion before we make a decision.”

Whatever had been held was dropped as they all scrambled over, squeezing in between each other as they tried to fit around the map. Several lines had been drawn, notes scribbled all over, crossed out and rearranged.

“There’s a lot of us,” Baekhyun started, looking both infinitely tired and yet hopeful as he glanced down at the map. For a second Jongin feared what he was about to say next, but quickly relaxed when Baekhyun continued. “But we hope you call all agree that splitting up won’t do us any good. We might be easier to find, but we can also better defend ourselves if we stay together.”

Everyone agreed without hesitation. It was Junmyeon who continued.

“Being as many as we are, going to a small town would be risky. But we’ve seen how easily Gifted can be tracked down in the big cities as well. We won’t be safe anywhere, but we have overstayed our welcome here. We’ve attracted too much attention already. People in the city know our faces.”

Jongin noticed how Chanyeol, Jongdae, and Minseok all shifted around uncomfortably. Their whole lives had been above, but now they were wanted criminals, forced to lurk around in the underground.

“We are of course open to any suggestions or anything else you might have to say,” Yixing said, folding his hands in front of him. “We are in this together and make the decisions together. We also hope you can forgive our secrecy. That being said, we do have a suggestion now and want to know what you think.”

Baekhyun reached out, pointing at a spot near the edge of the map. A tiny town with a name written so small that Jongin couldn’t even read it. It was located right next to the sea, seemingly isolated from other cities by old ruins and wasteland battlefields.

“It’s only a couple of days travel,” Junmyeon said. “And it’s no guarantee, but we have to make a move soon. If we can’t stay, we can move along the coast until we hopefully find someplace else. Maybe the ruins nearby could serve the purpose. We won’t know until we get there.”

He looked around at them all, one by one. “So, what are your thoughts?”

No one said anything, but there was a spark in everyone’s eyes that Jongin hadn’t seen before. Hope. This could be a new chance for them. A new beginning.

Junmyeon smiled and nodded. “It’s settled then. Let’s start packing.” 


	23. Timestamp 7 - Sehun; Towards The Unknown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go check out my [tumblr](https://guardians-of-exo.tumblr.com/) as well, I make lots of fun EXO stuff!xx  
> ~ M

The sun was beating down in the travelling group of Gifted. Sehun’s shirt was sticking uncomfortably to his skin, the sack he was carrying, made from an old woolen blanket, trapping the heat like a furnace.

It was only their third day of travelling, but it was the first time they had ventured out during the day. While still close to the Capital, they had moved only during the night, blending into the shadows. Aside from a lone patrolling RF-05, they hadn’t seen a single Red Force soldier. Sehun hoped it would stay that way. Just the thought of facing them again made him feel like he couldn’t breathe.

In front of him, Junmyeon was stubbornly trudging forward despite looking like he was seconds from keeling over. The little color he had regained in his cheeks was gone. Yixing hadn’t said anything out loud, but Sehun knew it worried him how long it was taking Junmyeon to recover. It worried them all. But Junmyeon was stubborn and insisted they keep going, even after the first long stretch had left him exhausted to the point of throwing up.

Chanyeol and Minseok were never far away, ready to catch him should he fall.

A rock rolled out as Sehun stepped on it, making him stumble and nearly drop the sack. Jongin caught his arm to help steady him, giving Sehun a tired but encouraging smile. The younger Gifted looked almost as bad as Junmyeon but was apparently just as stubborn and had kept up with them all as well.

It had been a while since Jongin’s rescue, but Sehun still sometimes had to stop and make sure he was actually there. Nightmares of the raid still frequented his nights, though it had gotten better since Jongin was rescued.

Their stories were similar in the sense that they’d both had a somewhat normal childhood. Sehun had learned to suppress his powers at an early age by his mother, and she had done everything she could to keep him safe. Even his own father didn’t know. Everything had been great until Sehun lost control in school. Some older kids had been picking on one of his friends for a while and that day they had gone too far. All Sehun saw was the blood running from his friend’s nose, and he exploded, a tornado tearing through the playground.

He knew it was all over then. He couldn’t go home it would only put his mom in danger. So, he ran. He still didn’t know if any kids got hurt that day. He didn’t want to know.

Living on the streets was hell, and he thought about just flying away and never coming back almost every night. But apparently that was one thing his powers couldn’t do. And then he had met Jongin. Someone who truly understood him. A brother he had always wanted.

The safe house had been an oasis at the end of a long desert. Somewhere they could finally relax. They had learned of it by chance and had followed the trail with only their hopes it was even real. Even that had been taken from them.

He looked up at the ragtag group of people in front of him. Never before had he ever wanted something to last as much as this. A family.

Wherever they would eventually end up, Sehun knew it would be okay if they were all together. He’d had his doubts at first, afraid it was too good to be true. Another doomed safe house. But he wanted it to be true more than anything. And they had risked their lives for him – uprooted their home just to fit him and Jongin in their family. Sehun would fight with everything he had to protect this.

Hoisting up his sack, he picked up speed, grinning at Jongin as he followed suit. They caught up with Jongdae and Baekhyun who greeted them with tired but happy smiles, leaving room so they could all walk together.

They were all quiet as they walked, exhausted and apprehensive of getting caught, but the mood was high. Having put a good distance to the Capital had lessened the heavy pressure of fear hanging over them.

Arcadia was only a vague wall of gray in the distance, just barely visible amongst the rolling hills of dirt and ruins.

Sehun felt lighter than he had in years. 


	24. Jongin - Log 16: Friend or Foe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go check out my [tumblr](https://guardians-of-exo.tumblr.com/) as well, I make lots of fun EXO stuff!xx  
> ~ M

They were making camp for the night, having found a small village that had probably once been a bustling community of farmers but was now merely dust and ruins. The houses closest to the center had been reduced to nothing more than holes in the ground, while some of the houses furthest away were still somewhat standing structures.

A house with three walls still standing and an almost covered basement was the perfect place to sleep. One way in and only one place they had to keep lookout for. The spirit was high amongst the travelers. They were getting ever closer to their, hopefully, new home. Their food rations were thinning out, but even that wasn’t enough to bring down the mood.

And at the moment, Jongin was quite happy that they had chosen to sacrifice the space in one of their homemade sacks for blankets. As hot as the sun was during the day, as cold was the moon during the night. Jongin sat huddled up under a blanket with Chanyeol, who seemed to be freezing despite his affinity for fire. His arm was cold against Jongin’s where they were pressed together, and Jongin felt really bad for him.

They didn’t dare light a fire because of the smoke, but Chanyeol was only happy to warm their cans of soup with his hands, handing out the small cans of heat to grateful freezing hands and empty stomachs.

Baekhyun had remembered to pack their deck of worn playing cards, and even Junmyeon was well enough to participate in a highly competitive game of go fish.

It was taking them a bit longer to reach their destination than they had first hoped. Jongin had come to realize that despite no longer feeling pain, his body tired after hardly any physical activity. It seemed it was the same for Junmyeon, who, even though he always tried to hide it, had trouble breathing after walking for a short while.

Not wanting to be the only one to delay everyone, Jongin did his best to follow Junmyeon’s example and hide how his whole body shook with every step. At least he slept soundly every night, completely exhausted.

He could feel himself nodding off, the warmth of the soup spreading through his body lulling him to sleep.

One by one, they bid each other goodnight, and with a yawn, Jongdae offered to take first watch. Jongin was out like a light before Jongdae finished his sentence.

⌖

Jongin inhaled sharply as he was shaken awake by Chanyeol. Confused and disoriented, Jongin looked around. Everyone was awake, the moon bright enough for Jongin to see the scared faces around him. Cold washed over him in an instant, his heart hammering painfully against his ribs. And then he heard it – talking. From someone outside of their hideout. Footsteps. A lot of them. Someone kicking rocks as they walked, another shuffling their feet across the ground. How many were there?

A loud crash had Jongin jumping, gripping onto Chanyeol’s arm, his own fear reflected in Chanyeol’s eyes. They were close.

Everyone sat frozen, barely daring to breathe. Waiting.

“If they see us, close your eyes and scatter,” Baekhyun hissed out between his teeth. “I’ll distract them for a couple of seconds.” He was staring determined up at the slice of sky visible to them from the basement.

It seemed everyone knew what Baekhyun was talking about, nodding in understanding, but Jongin was confused. He was about to ask when there was another crash even closer and he quickly shut his mouth.

A shadow appeared above them and Jongin held his breath. They were covered by the floor above them except right beneath the door where the floor had collapsed. Their only other escape was out the broken window just above Yixing. Hiding there had seemed such a good idea, but now they were cornered, it seemed reckless. If the soldier came any closer and looked down into the darkness, he would see them right away.

The soldier stepped into view, and Jongin saw the second they were noticed.

“NOW!” Was Baekhyun’s only warning before the world around them exploded into light. Jongin’s eyes burned as he squeezed them shut, tears welling up from the pain.

He could hear everyone scrambling up around him. A flash of burning heat erupted right next to him, making him stumble back in shock only to run right into a wall of solid cold. He could hear someone yelling from above them, and then someone was pulling on his arm. Jongin’s eyes were still burning and he couldn’t see anything. It got harder to breathe, and he felt panic clawing at his chest. He wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear, but someone still had a tight hold on his arm.

Then he heard gunshots. Everything in his body shifted. He was falling endlessly and yet only for a second. And suddenly, everything around him went quiet.

He blinked furiously, trying to get rid of the spots in his vision when the grip on his arm loosened and he became aware that he hadn’t teleported alone.

Minseok fell to his knees, panting loudly as he retched. Jongin stared at him shocked. How had he taken Minseok with him? He had never been able to teleport with someone else before – he and Sehun had tried back when they were on their own.

“What the fuck,” Minseok swore, wiping his mouth as he staggered to his feet.

“I’m sorry,” Jongin whispered, realizing just what had happened. He had run away. Left them all behind. Forced Minseok to abandon his friends.

“We need to go back!” Minseok said, voice breaking as he stumbled. Jongin remembered how he felt the first time he teleported; it wasn’t pleasant.

Looking around, Jongin realized they were still close to the village. A forest of dead trees surrounded them, casting eerie shadows across the barren ground. Voices rose from the village, loud and agitated and Jongin felt the panic creeping back. He wanted to go back and help but… what could he do but be in the way? He couldn’t fight and if he tried to teleport again, he would probably fail.

Minseok was already staggering back towards the village, but he stopped with a choked gasp, and Jongin spun around to see what was wrong.

A glowing red shock collar lit up the gaunt, ashen face of a young man. In the red light of the collar, he looked almost dead. Though he was in a Red Force uniform, he was unarmed and alone, staring at the two Gifted with wide, terrified eyes.

He opened his mouth as if he were about to shout, but Minseok quickly held up his hands. “No! Please,” he whispered, backing up towards Jongin again. “We won’t hurt you.”

The young man also stepped back, his eyes flickering between Minseok and Jongin. The shock collar he wore around his neck was shining brightly in the darkness. Jongin had only ever heard of the collars being used on Gifted, so it meant that… But he was also in a Red Force uniform, could they trust him?

“We need to go help our friends,” Minseok continued, reaching back to grab onto Jongin, ready to make a run for it should it be necessary. “Just pretend you didn’t see us. Please.”

Jongin reluctantly let Minseok pull him away, neither of them looking away from the Gifted. The young man barely moved as they walked past him, his eyes following them like he was waiting for them to jump him. The further they got away, the more he started shifting around uncomfortably.

“Jongin, come on,” Minseok mumbled, clearly not trusting the stranger to just let them walk away. But something in Jongin was telling him to stay. The strange Gifted looked so conflicted, and why was he out there alone? What if he had tried to run away? Maybe his powers could even help them save the others.

“You go, I’ll only be in the way,” Jongin said, pulling his hand away from Minseok. “I don’t think he’s one of them.”

Minseok shook his head, but the look in Jongin’s eyes must have been determined enough for him to know that Jongin would not be moving until he had at least tried.

“Be careful!” Minseok ordered, giving Jongin’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. He then hurried off into the darkness towards the village. For a second, Jongin wanted to follow him, feeling terrible for letting him go back alone. But his powers wouldn’t be helpful to them in any way, and he would only be a source of worry. The boy in front of him was someone Jongin might actually be able to help.

The two of them had probably gone through the same trauma at the hands of the Red Force, had suffered in the same ways. If the Gifted in front of him had been treated as Jongin had, there was no way he had joined out of anything but fear.

“I know someone who can take that off, if you want,” he tried, taking a small step closer to the stranger. “He did it for me. All of them back there saved me from the Red Force. We can help you.”

The young man stepped back, holding out his hand to keep Jongin away, and for a second, Jongin could have sworn he felt the ground trembling.

“You’re one of us, right?” Jongin continued, keeping his voice steady though he felt like running. The Gifted in front of him was tensed up, eyes wide and wild like a cornered animal. If he lashed out, Jongin couldn’t defend himself. But Jongin didn’t want to leave him. That could have been Jongin standing there, had he not been rescued. Had it been him, Jongin would have been scared and confused.

“How?” the whispered word was barely audible over the sounds of the battle from the ruined village, and Jongin first thought he could have imagined it. But the words that followed were much clearer. “They’ll kill me. I let you go, and they kill me.”

Jongin shook his head. “We won’t let them. We’ve fought them before and won.” The fact that it had been more because of luck rather than actual skill was something the scared stranger didn’t have to know. Jongin didn’t want to think about it. He had to trust that his friends would be okay this time too. They had to be.

What sounded like an explosion shook the ground, and the night was briefly lit up by an orange glow as a pillar of fire rose up from the village. Seconds later, another explosion hit, this one much closer. Jongin was so focused on the fire that he didn’t see the figures running straight at him in the dark, until Jongdae was right in front of him, face and clothes covered in soot.

“ _Move!”_ he screamed, nearly showing Jongin over to get him to run.

Jongin searched the dark frantically for the stranger as he was pushed through the trees, catching glimpses of the red light between the trunks. A third explosion lit up the night once again, the silhouette of the stranger dark in front of the flames. He was standing there, watching them all run away, and Jongin wanted to go back and drag him with them, but Jongdae was not letting him go. Jongin didn’t want to risk the lives of his friends again, so he kept going. He had tried but there hadn’t been enough time.

The glowing red shock collar was swallowed up by the darkness behind them. The stranger was gone. 


	25. Kyungsoo - Log 17: Take The Risk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go check out my [tumblr](https://guardians-of-exo.tumblr.com/) as well, I make lots of fun EXO stuff!xx  
> ~ M

Kyungsoo watched as the group of Mutants escaped into the night, swallowed up by the darkness one by one. Somehow, they had thrown off the Red Force soldiers Kyungsoo was with, but he could hear them coming closer.

If they saw him standing there it was over. He would have lost his chance. But if he followed it would put a death sentence on his head. He had worked so hard to stay alive, done everything the Red Force asked of him. A shock collar was the closest thing to freedom any Mutant had. As long as you were obedient, you were alive.

He shook his head violently, gripping onto the collar tightly though he knew it would be impossible to get off. Those weren’t his own words – his own thoughts. They were words the Red Force had forced into his brain, and they were somehow starting to sound like his own. It terrified him.

His feet were moving before he had finished the thought. A life as a Red Force slave would be like dying every single day. Kyungsoo couldn’t do it. Wouldn’t do it. A life as a refugee would end in death one way or another, but at least it would be under his own terms when that time eventually came. 

The Mutants were already far ahead, but Kyungsoo knew exactly where they were; he could feel their footsteps on the ground as if they were right next to him. The shock collar had dulled his powers to being barely existing, but the Red Force wanted to keep their leashed Mutants useful and allowed some control. Right now, that was more than enough for Kyungsoo.

The shock collar would eventually lead the Red Force right to him, but the Mutant had said one of his friends could remove it, so if Kyungsoo just kept moving until it was gone, he would hopefully be fine. That collar was the one thing they could still bring him down with, so he needed it off. The second they realized he had deserted, he would have to move through the pain. The collar wasn’t able to give a shock strong enough to kill though, as too many Mutants would use death as an easy escape from the life as a slave. He had been shocked before and though it had brought him to his knees, he knew he could fight through it when he needed to. He had to.

The Red Force would incapacitate him without hesitation the second they had the opportunity to. He just had to make sure they never got the chance. He couldn’t go back to them. 

⌖

It only took a couple of hours before Kyungsoo had caught up with the Mutants. The sun was creeping up over the horizon, blood-red and just barely lighting up his surroundings. He had been running in circles and leaving false trails in hopes of throwing off the Red Force for even just a second.

If he led the Red Force straight to the Mutants, they would all be doomed. How they had fought their way out back at the ruins, Kyungsoo had no idea.

The unit Kyungsoo was assigned to had received a tip from a farmer about a possible Mutant sighting. They had been cornered back in that village with no way to escape but Kyungsoo had been sent out to stop anyone from trying to flee just in case. Yet they had managed to make it out alive. And now, Kyungsoo was the one running for his life.

He hesitated to approach the group once he got close. Though the one in the forest hadn’t seemed dangerous there was no telling with the rest of them, and Kyungsoo was wearing a Red Force uniform. They would not be happy to see him.

The shock startled him more than it actually hurt, his body twitching as he fell to his knees. An involuntary yelp of pain left his mouth, and he bit his lip so hard it bled as a second wave of pain washed over him.

They knew he was gone.

His whole body shook, threatening to fall over again, as he forced himself back up on his feet. He couldn’t stop now. He could feel the Red Force coming closer, the ground vibrating with their footsteps. He couldn’t let them capture him again. He would rather take his chance with the Mutants. 

He stumbled towards where he had seen them last, hoping they hadn’t gotten too far ahead. Adrenaline was pumping through his body to keep it moving despite the pain, and he lost all sense of what was happening around him. He could no longer feel the Mutants ahead, and he could no longer feel the Red Force behind him. He was running blind.

He heaved for breath through every shock of pain that threatened to bring him to his knees. Could he hear them behind him, or was he imagining it? He dared not look back, too scared to find out.

Gunshots rang through the night and Kyungsoo stumbled, nearly falling as his shoulder was shoved forward violently as if he had been tackled. The pain didn’t register until a warm, sticky substance was running down his arm, dripping off his fingers and onto the ground. And then, his shoulder was on fire.

Someone screamed, the strain in his throat the only thing letting Kyungsoo know it was himself. The group of Mutants looked up startled, bodies moving fast to defend themselves against him.

“Help me,” Kyungsoo choked out, feeling himself fall as another wave of electricity tore through his body, the pain in his shoulder nearly unbearable. His vision was blurring and the second his body hit the ground, it was like he lost all the energy he had left. “Get it off,” he whimpered as the collar shocked him again. The gunshots were closer this time, but Kyungsoo could barely hear it over his own body screaming in pain.

Voice above him spoke urgently but unintelligibly, feet scrambling around Kyungsoo’s twitching body in a panicked mess. Kyungsoo’s head start hadn’t been enough, and now he brought them face to face with the very people they were running from.

Someone kneeled down beside Kyungsoo and put a hand on his neck, slowly twisting the collar around. The person was sitting behind him, so Kyungsoo couldn’t see who it was, and he was too drained to move. He just closed his eyes and prayed that whatever they were trying to do, they would do it fast. A quick death would be better than falling back into the hands of the Red Force.

“Stay still,” a voice mumbled, pulling Kyungsoo’s shoulder to get better access to his neck. Pain ran through his body like wildfire, but he bit back the whimper this time.

His body twitched as an electric current passed from his head through to his toes, but it didn’t feel like a usual shock form the collar and nowhere near as painful. There was a distorted beep and, just like that, the weight around Kyungsoo’s neck disappeared, landing on the ground beneath him with a thud.

He shuddered as another feeling welled up inside him, warm and powerful. It settled deep into his bones like it had always been there though he hadn’t realized it had been missing until now. He let out a shaky breath.

A hand reached down to help him to his feet, and he accepted, stumbling up on unsteady feet. The Mutant he had met briefly stood before him along with who was likely the friend he had spoken of; the one who removed the shock collar.

As the world around him slowly came back into focus, he became aware of the battle going on not even a stone’s throw away. Flashes of fire and bright light lit up the early dawn around them. People were yelling and screaming. Guns were fired.

“Can you fight?” the Mutant in front of him asked, narrowed eyes looking him over slowly, pausing at the Red Force crest on Kyungsoo’s chest.

Kyungsoo’s shoulder was throbbing with pain, blood still steadily dripping down his arm, but he nodded. The message was crystal clear - he needed to prove himself, and he intended to do just that. He would not let a chance of freedom escape him. His last and only chance.

He turned to look at the fight happening behind them, the dark figures moving like shadows against the gradually brightening sky. His fingers twitched by his side and he brought his hands up to look at them, flexing his fingers experimentally. A strength he hadn’t felt in a long time was coursing through his body with every beat of his heart.

There had been a reason why the Red Force were so keen on keeping Kyungsoo alive, to keep him as their own. They wanted Mutants on their side. Their training was with the use of whips, beating Mutants into submission until their powers were of use. Now they would realize just what a mistake they had made.

Clenching his fists, his bloody hand reared back before he kneeled, slamming it into the ground. His powers left him like an explosion, visible ripples shooting through the ground like it had been water and before him pillars of ground rose into the air. For a single beat of a heart everything was dead quiet, the Mutants now raised above the ground trying to figure out what had just happened. Then, a low rumble sounded from below and the ground opened like a gaping mouth, swallowing up the Red Force soldiers. Their screams were drowned in dirt as the ground closed with a deafening crash.

The pillars slowly descended back into the ground below, and in another heartbeat, it was nearly impossible to tell a battle had just taken place.

“Holy shit.” A voice broke the silence somewhere behind Kyungsoo, but it sounded off, like Kyungsoo’s ears were stuffed with cotton.

Kyungsoo’s mouth was dry, and he could taste blood as he tried to get back on his feet. Something wet touched his lips and a shaky hand reached up to wipe it away. His nose was bleeding, he realized. White static filled his head and he blinked, the world around him becoming increasingly blurry.

A face appeared in front of him and Kyungsoo frowned. He could see they were trying to speak, but he couldn’t hear anything. He squinted, trying to focus on the face, but his vision was swimming.

And just like that, he felt his body crumble. The world turned black before he hit the ground. 

**Author's Note:**

> Go check out my [tumblr](https://guardians-of-exo.tumblr.com/) as well, I make lots of fun EXO stuff!xx  
> ~ M


End file.
